34 June 27 • 2019
jn
Screen Time Tug-of-War
Studies show young people use screens to excess —
do benefi
ts outweigh the concerns?
H
ow much is too much?
For more than a decade, since just about
everyone started using cell phones, parents
have struggled to get their kids to lift their eyes from
the screen.
Now social and medical scientists have data to sup-
port what parents have long known — that too much
screen time can be harmful.
Just last week, an Australian study done in 2018
shows that bone spurs of an inch or more have been
detected at the back of the skull where it meets the
neck in more people than expected who are between
age 18 and 30. The two researchers suggest “sustained
aberrant postures associated with the emergence and
extensive use of hand-held contemporary technolo-
gies, such as smartphones and tablets” are the cause.
The study drew mixed reviews, but it’
s true that people
who bend their necks forward can develop neck and
back problems.
And then there are the social and psychological
aspects of prolonged screen time.
In a study published last November in Preventive
Medicine Reports, researchers at San Diego State
University say that more than one hour of screen time
for children aged 2 to 17 is associated with lower psy-
chological well-being.
The study used data from a 2016 National Survey of
Children’
s Health, conducted by the Census Bureau,
which found that increasing amounts of screen time
correlated with progressively lower psychological
health.
Approximately 20 percent of 14- to 17-year-olds
regularly spend at least seven hours a day watching
screens, with the average being 3.2 hours, according to
the study. Young people who spend many hours look-
ing at screens are more easily distracted, less emotion-
ally stable and have more problems finishing tasks and
making friends compared to teens who spend an hour
or less on screens each day. (Measured screen time did
not include time spent on schoolwork.)
Jean Twenge, the study’
s first author, a professor of
psychology at San Diego State University, said kids
who spend a lot of time on screens tend to be less
happy than those who engage in activities such as
sports, reading or socializing face-to-face with friends.
Heavy screen users in the study were 95 percent
less likely than low users to be calm,
curious and task-
focused, and they argued more with
their parents. Heavy users were also
more likely to be clinically diagnosed
with a mental health disorder.
Teacher Sharon Krasner sees the
results in her classroom.
“There has definitely been an
increase in lack of attention and sleeping in class,” said
Krasner of Oak Park, a teacher for 18 years. She teach-
es ninth grade and Advanced Placement English at
Bradford Academy High School in Southfield.
“Usually when I speak with the kids, I find they
may have gone to bed at a reasonable hour; but they
stay up for hours playing video games, usually with-
out their parents’
knowledge. They are also more
and more reluctant to read anything. Their focus is
non-existent.
“My students have a lot of difficulty maintaining
social relationships and understanding social cues as
well.”
BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
health
on the cover
SCREEN TIME TIPS
For younger than 18 months, avoid use of screen media
other than video-chatting. Parents of children ages
18-24 months who want to introduce digital media
should choose high-quality programming and watch it
with their children to help them understand what they’
re
seeing.
• For ages 2-5 years, limit screen use to 1 hour per
day of high-quality programs. Help them understand how
what they are seeing applies to the world around them.
• For ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the
time spent using media and the types of media, and
make sure media does not take the place of adequate
sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to
health.
• Designate media-free times together, such as dinner
or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such
as bedrooms.
• Have ongoing communication about online citizen-
ship and safety, including treating others with respect
online and offline.
• Parents should educate themselves on technology
and electronics so they understand the dangers of social
media, online predators, violent games and inappropriate
images and can communicate them age-appropriately to
their kids.
• Parents should model healthy electronic behavior
as well; monitor your own binge-watching and game
playing.
• Use parental controls on the TV and online that
allow you to monitor what children are viewing.
• Know all your children’
s online passwords and mon-
itor their activities.
(American Academy of Pediatrics and other sources)
At home, phone-free times are enforced for Eliana Schreiber, 15;
Grace Golodner, 14; Shaya Schreiber, 13; and Asher Schreiber, 17.
COURTESY LYNNE GOLODNER
Sharon Krasner
KRASNER FACEBOOK PAGE
continued on page 36