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 

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