Thursday, March 23, 2023 Volume 17 Issue 24
A colleague recently shared information from a workshop about technology addiction and digital health. There were some statistics that really made me pause and think, and I wanted to share these with you as well.
A 2019 study published in a pediatric medical journal found that children aged 3-5 who used screens more than 1 hour per day had lower levels of brain development in the area responsible for language, literacy and cognitive skills.
Between 2009 and 2015, Teen use of electronic devices for at least 5 hours per day doubled from 8 percent to 19 percent. These same teens were 70 percent more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those who reported just 1 hour of daily use.
A 2004 study found that for every hour of television watched by children between ages 1 and 3, there is a ten percent higher chance of developing an attention problem that could be diagnosed as ADHD by age 7.
Additionally, there are strong links between social media, video games, and addiction. Children can become addicted to their devices, just as they can become addicted to drugs. In fact, a UW study of burn victims found that a control group who played a video game called Snow World required no morphine because the pain centers of their brains were more activated by the game then by actual morphine. Some of the statistics shared may deal more with very extreme cases of technology use, but we do sometimes see students who struggle significantly with putting away their computers after working on an assignment that requires them, or students who appear to obsess about video games to a degree where it is hard for them to engage in other types of activities.
The connection between social media and depression is also scary. Recent documentaries such as “The Social Dilemma” and “Screenagers” link social media use with teens’ self-perception. As people connect with more and more “friends” on social media, they actually appear to have higher rates of depression. Studies link “hypertexting” (over 120 texts daily) and “hypernetworking” (over 3 hours of daily social media use) with behavioral and psychological problems.
So, what’s the cure? It appears to be the same as the cure for most things – moderation. Time spent on technology is time spent away from other valuable activities – ones where children are actually socializing with each other in meaningful ways. Technology is likely not going away and most all of us need to continue to use it in our jobs, but it is important to make sure tech use is balanced with:
Appropriate amounts of sleep (so put tech away an hour or so before bedtime and keep it in a place where children cannot access it at night)
Exercise
Time outdoors each day so children are getting appropriate amounts of light exposure, which can help to regulate sleep
Education about the impact social media and tech use can have on development. Informed people make better choices.
Parental supervision. Elementary age students should use tech in a central place in the home where parents can easily supervise what they are doing. Children become highly adept at closing screens so be sure you are checking browser history and that you have access to your children’s passwords. Talk to them about what they are doing and seeing online.
You can learn more about parental controls and other ways to keep your children’s media use safe at Common Sense media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ . If your child does have an unhealthy relationship with video games, you may also be interested in the book Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking our Kids and How to Break the Trance https://www.amazon.com/Glow-Kids-Screen-Addiction-Hijacking/dp/1250097991.
Student Kudos
5th grader Lucy Chick was recently selected as one of two Beat the Bridge Youth Ambassadors by the local Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). She will raise awareness about Type 1 Diabetes by sharing her personal story with potential individual and organizational donors across the region. More details here!
