Summer Time and Screen Time. What Parents Need to Know.
Raelene Hurry, M.Ed., RCC, Vitality Collective, Surrey Therapist
“No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks”! Schools Out!
Your child has likely been out of school for a month now. Are they loving the break? Or are they feeling bored? Missing their friends or classmates yet? There can be a wide range of emotions for kids during summer. Many are happy that there is no more homework and no more schoolwork…unless of course mom or dad bought the classic workbooks from Costco to continue summer learning! Some love staying up late and sleeping in. (Or for those who are used to staying up late, but then not getting the sleep they need during the school year, sleeping in has been a welcomed necessity). For shy, introverted, anxious or lonely kids, summer leaves them even more isolated. For social preteens and teens especially, summer is often thought of as a time to hang out with friends, have fun, and do whatever they want.
But wait, are your kids getting together in person, being active or creative together, or are they spending hours texting or scrolling on Discord, Instagram, Tik Tok, or Snapchat? Maybe while they are hanging out with a few friends, they are still glued to their phones and chatting with others on various social media platforms. Maybe you have a gamer on your hands and all they have wanted to do is get to the next level of their favourite video game, or you have a TV watcher who wants to binge watch all the trending new shows on Netflix or endless videos on YouTube.
This is the reality for many children and youth with access to screens. We are living in a society that is completely consumed by the influences of technology. Your kids likely know more than you about your smartphone, laptop, ipad, video game console, or television. When you can’t figure out how to do something techy, how many times have your children come to the rescue? Mine certainly has shown me the ropes more than once! Children are quick learners and are exposed to screens at school, at home, and everywhere in between. But what is the impact of screen time and social media on children and youth?
Well, first of all, your children want you to hear the positive things about screen time. With respect to TV, this argument about the benefits comes out when they justify learning something in the show they are watching. In all fairness, there are many amazing educational shows available, just as there are incredible opportunities to access knowledge online. If your child has a special interest or a curiosity about something (for example: what is it like on the moon), they can ask Siri or they can navigate the computer, learn to spell the words to enter into the search and then read all about space and watch educational videos. Maybe your teen is learning how to create a resume and look for jobs online. Perhaps they have a passion for photography and they love to edit photos on the latest editing app. Maybe they follow positive people on Instagram or Tic Tok who inspire them to be great leaders, love themselves, and reach their full potential. There are connections between family members and friends near and far through our access to screens. There are plenty of reasons we love technology and are grateful for it.
We often hear family doctors, teachers and mental health professionals tell us to limit screen time. But why? Well, although there are benefits to technology, there is also a dark side to being online and on screens. We know kids can come across adult material online without even trying. Understandably, that is highly concerning to many parents. When your child hears about something from a friend or something comes across their feed that they don’t understand or didn’t know about, they can quickly find out more about topics you may not feel comfortable learning about yet, and of course, once they view it, they will automatically get more videos of that nature in their feeds.
Sadly, it is super common for children and youth today to be bullied or threatened online, to be coerced into doing things they wouldn’t normally do, to start to talk and act like others do online, and to chat with people they don’t actually know on various platforms, in chat groups, and through games online. I have seen this time and time again. This can lead to a multitude of dangerous situations and negative consequences. We teach kids about ‘stranger danger’ from the time they are young. But these days, stranger danger is less about the dark van driving down the street and more about who could be on the other end of their screen, pretending to be their friend.
When people are behind a screen, it is easy for them to take out their emotions on others or to cyberbully others. When kids leave school, they don’t get a break from the drama or those bullying them because they are connected 24-7. If your kids are on any platform like Tic Tok, Snapchat, or Instagram, they are likely also frequently exposed to unrealistic expectations of how they should look or act. This leads to an impaired sense of self-worth and can negatively shape their developing identity.
There is a connection between screen time and well-being. While there has been some variation in determining if screen time causes low well-being or low well-being leads to more screen time, or it is reciprocal, there are many long-term studies that show screen time does precede lower well-being. A large study of over 40,000 children and youth found that after the first hour, the more hours children and youth (2-17 years old) spend on screens, the lower their well-being. This is especially true for adolescents. Youth who spent more than 7 hours a day on screens were 2x more likely to have been diagnosed with depression and high users were also more likely to have been on medication for mental health challenges in the last 12 months.
So let’s break it down. Based on research that has been done on this topic and my experience with children and youth, screen time is connected to the following outcomes:
MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Less emotional stability
Less perseverance through difficult tasks
Low curiosity
Poor emotional regulation and self-control:
Reactive
Argumentative
Low mood
Depressed
Anxious
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Difficulty getting along with others
Difficulty making friends
Less confident in face-to-face interactions
Lack of effective problem-solving skills (connected to poor emotional regulation)
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Impacts on fitness levels
Less time spent playing and being physical impacts the ability to build strong muscles, coordination, etc.
Impacts on sleep, which has implications for mood, focus, and growth
INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT:
Not completing tasks
Reduced attention/focus in less stimulating situations, such as in class
Not reaching full potential because they are less engaged
SAFETY
Risks of being groomed by predators
Less self-control
Risks of cyberbullying, sexting, etc.
These are some of the risks associated with the high use of screens however, as mentioned, screen time and social media is not all bad and they are the reality of the world we live in. So what are some important steps you may choose to take to reduce the potential risks of screen time?
The first is obvious, but I know, not easy. Limit screen time! Moderate use is 4+ hours and every hour beyond One hour is connected to poor outcomes.
Create an open phone policy in your home; there are media contracts online that allow you to create an agreement with your children.
Monitor your children’s use of technology; not for punishment, but for dialogue! It is critical parents help children and youth navigate their online presence. If you see what they are exposed to online, you can help them learn how to handle the challenges they face. They need to know they are not in trouble, but they are supported.
They need and want boundaries, even if they may tell you otherwise. Children and youth are often overwhelmed by everything that happens online and wants support.
Follow them online
Talk to them about the risks of talking to people they don’t know online and teach them how to be safe.
Watch shows and play games with your kids and talk about what you see. This builds a connection with you, helps them better understand what they are watching, and allows them to think critically about the information they see.
Encourage them to follow body-positive influencers, social justice activists, or positive leaders in their communities that align with their values.
Take screen breaks. One week without screens is correlated with increased well-being. Try a screen-free day with the family each week and get outside together.
Help them learn, grow and be their best selves both online and in person by staying connected and fostering their self-worth.
Resource:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335518301827