Indian Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines on Screen Time and Digital Wellness in Infants, Children and Adolescents.

JUSTIFICATION: Screen-based media have become an important part of human lifestyle. In view of their easy availability and increasing use in Indian children, and their excessive use being linked to physical, developmental and emotional problems, there is a need to develop guidelines related to ensure digital wellness and regulate screen time in infants, children, and adolescents. OBJECTIVES: To review the evidence related to effects of screen-based media and excessive screen time on children's health; and to formulate recommendations for limiting screen time and ensuring digital wellness in Indian infants, children and adolescents. PROCESS: An Expert Committee constituted by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), consisting of various stakeholders in private and public sector, reviewed the literature and existing guidelines. A detailed review document was circulated to the members, and the National consultative meet was held online on 26th March 2021 for a day-long deliberation on framing the guidelines. The consensus review and recommendations formulated by the Group were circulated to the participants and the guidelines were finalized. CONCLUSIONS: Very early exposure to screen-based media and excessive screen time (>1-2h/d) seems to be widely prevalent in Indian children. The Group recommends that children below 2 years age should not be exposed to any type of screen, whereas exposure should be limited to a maximum of one hour of supervised screen time per day for children 24-59 months age, and less than two hours per day for children 5-10 years age. Screen time must not replace other activities such as outdoor physical activities, sleep, family and peer interaction, studies and skill development, which are necessary for overall health and development of the children and adolescents. Families should ensure a warm, nurturing, supportive, fun filled and secure environment at home, and monitor their children's screen use to ensure that the content being watched is educational, age-appropriate and non-violent. Families, schools and pediatricians should be educated regarding the importance of recording screen exposure and digital wellness as a part of routine child health assessment, and detect any signs of cyberbullying or media addiction; and tackle it timely with expert consultation if needed.

Chelating efficacy of CaNa(2) EDTA on nickel-induced toxicity in Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham.) through its effects on glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione and lipid peroxidation.

In this age of modern biology, aquatic toxicological research has provided potential tools for ecotoxicologic investigations. Heavy metals primarily affect protein structures and induce a stress in the organisms. The present investigation was carried out to assess the effect of nickel chloride on the selected organs of the freshwater fish Cirrhinus mrigala and how CaNa(2) EDTA counters its effects as an antidote. Toxicity experiments were conducted for different exposure periods and also in certain tissues namely gill, liver, kidney and muscle. The total protein content, reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and lipid peroxidation were found to be decreased in the nickel chloride treated tissues and the treatment with CaNa(2) EDTA+nickel chloride returned to near normal levels. Histopathological observations also revealed that after the administration of nickel chloride+CaNa(2) EDTA the chelator induced reduction in nickel toxicity. It has also contributed towards reduction in the pathological damage, thus enabling the organs to attain their near normal histological appearance. The present study shown that CaNa(2) EDTA is an effective chelating agent for the removal of nickel and it has proved efficient in restoring both the biochemical variables and pathological features immediately after a sub lethal exposure of nickel chloride in fish.