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This past week I watched the documentary film, Screenagers, at Alcuin College School.  As the title suggests, it was all about the impact of screens on our kids.  We are raising the first generation of children to be spending so much time on screens.  Our children are the guinea pigs of this new environment, this new world.  It’s concerning to think about the negative long term effects that could be taking place in our children’s developing brains.

Important Points from Screenagers

• Children lose empathy with too much tech time ~ Sherry Turkle, Author of Alone Together and Reclaiming Conversation  (See my previous post on being alone together as coined by Sherry Turkle.)

• In the teenage years, you get even more Dopamine (the pleasure hormone) every time you have an interaction via a screen.  This is the same as ingesting a chemical, it’s like a drug, and becomes addictive

• When kids are hanging out together but all looking at screens, their conversation then focuses on whatever their screens are showing.  They are interacting about the outside but not having conversations where they share thoughts that come from inside

• Technology interferes with children’s sleep  (For more information on sleep and the blue light from devices, read my previous post here.)

• The dopamine we get from screen time is the same chemical released with activities such as drinking alcohol

• The many hours of dopamine released with screen-based activities can seriously affect the brain. Research shows that when people play three or more hours of video games per day, their MRI brain scans show similarities to people who are addicted to drugs

• Research involving exposing one group of mice to flashing lights and audio (similar to what flash screens create) for six hours per day for 42 days showed that this group of mice took three times longer to find their way through a maze than the group of mice in the control group.  It also showed that there was permanent brain damage in the young mice who were exposed to the flash screen type stimulation.   The exposed to screen stimulation younger mice developed fewer nerve cells in the parts of the brain that control learning and memory

• Research with a group of 60 preschoolers who were divided into two groups, one who watched fast-paced images on screens for about 10 minutes, and the other who drew with crayons in another room, all took the same test of cognitive skills. The kids who were exposed to the screens did significantly worse on the exams

• Screenagers reported that the data involving violent video games (such as Grand Theft Auto) shows an increased risk in aggressive thoughts and actions.  (For my previous post on Grand Theft Auto and how it’s contributing to moral inversion in our kids, click here)

• Data also reveals that prosocial video games increase the chance that kids will be more helpful to others

• The average child now spends 6.5 hours per day on screens NOT including homework

• Girls are particularly negatively impacted by the pressure to be popular, get the most likes and hearts, and basically figure out their social status via social media.  In another experiment, they showed a group of teen girls who were asked to wear a full piece bathing suit while writing a test, while the control group of teen girls wore a sweater and pants, as they wrote the test.  The girls in the bathing suits performed significantly worse than the girls in clothing.  However, for the boys, the boys in bathing suit shorts performed with no significant difference than the boys in sweaters and pants.  Social Media creates another added layer of stress and pressure on girls to perform just right

What To Do About Screenagers…   Create Boundaries

Whenever your child has the privilege of using a device, it should also come with an accompanying agreement…a contract.  Allowing your child to use a device with no limits, is jello parenting – parenting without boundaries, which is not healthy.

Contracts work best, when your child has a say in the terms of the contract vs. having the rules imposed upon him/her.  The Screenagers website has an excellent page on creating a contract with your child.

Devices should never be allowed to be used in a child’s bedroom.  There are too many predators, traumatic images, and negative temptations.  Devices should be used in an open area.  Devices also interrupt sleep, through addictive games and drama texting  which then impacts healthy functioning.   If your child uses his/her phone as an alarm, buy them an alarm clock.

Create outdoor alternatives to screen time (hikes, swimming at the local recreation centre, sports, walks etc.) Create indoor alternatives to screen time (board games, cards, table tennis, foosball etc.)

Model your own screen time.  Create a family contract which sets rules for everyone, such as no devices in cars, no devices at the dining table, no devices in the evening past a certain time – a screen curfew.

For further reading on screen time, Screenagersmovie.com has an excellent resource section.  They also say on their website that they’re willing to sell the viewing rights to any community group who wishes to view it.

I have also written other articles on this topic:

The Impact of Screens on Sleep

The Hazards of Problem Video Gaming

Technology…how is it impacting our creativity and our children’s creativity

Strategies for Managing Screen Time

Screen Time…What Are The Cautions?

How Are The Drawbacks of Technology Impacting Us Socially?

Every Parent Should Know This Contributor to Social Anxiety

Lastly, the movie showed the sad story of a university young male who became addicted to video games, failed first term, lost weight, lost interest in anything except for video games and had to go to a rehabilitation centre called Restart.  Fortunately, he was able to recover but it took time and residential therapy.

I hope we can all take note of the important research discussed in this film, and realize the importance of creating balance in our children’s digital world.

Warmly,

PS.  Registration is now open for my next round of Brain Science groups – Groups for children ages 7-9 years and 10-12 years to teach them about anxiety and anxiety management skills.  The group for the 7-9 year olds is now FULL but there are still spaces in the 10-12 years group.  For more information and to register online, please click here

PPS.  Did you find this article valuable?  If so, please forward to your friends and family and let me know via a “like” on my Facebook page.

PPPS.  To access my tech guide on useful resources for setting limits on screens click here.