Disconnect to connect

It is hard to envision life without electronic devices, yet it has been less than a decade since the invasion of the iPad, which quickly became a household staple for childhood entertainment. In less than 10 years, “an entire generation of kids has been psychologically impacted and neurologically wired” (Kardaras, 2016, p. 5) with many children now choosing electronic entertainment over all other forms of play.

Between time spent at home and school, children are in front of computers, televisions, phones, and electronic devices an average of seven hours a day (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016). This comes with serious consequences for this generation of children, as screen time has been shown to have significant implications for their developing brains.

In short, too much screen time interferes with healthy brain development. Current research debunks the myth that screen time has educational benefits and leads to increased academic performance. On the contrary, there is a growing body of research proving that too much screen time is highly linked with psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, addiction, and increased aggression (Kardaras, 2016, p. 3-4).

Some of the most noticeable symptoms in children who engage in too much screen time are preoccupied thoughts around use, isolation from face to face contact with peers, loss of interest in extracurricular activities, aggression and/or irritability when use is stopped, and sleep disturbances.

For children under two, little to no screen time is recommended (The American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016). For children and teens, consistent limits should be placed on use, the type of use should be monitored (i.e. which video games or social media sites are being used), and parents should be ensuring use does not interfere with adequate sleep, physical exercise, extracurricular activities, and other behaviours vital to health. In addition to these recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics (2016), recommends parents co-view the media with their children to help them understand what they are viewing and to apply it to the world around them.

Something to consider: If a person spends an average of three hours per day using their phone, they will spend more than eight years of their life looking down at their screen … small moments add up to many missed opportunities we have to connect with each other. Responsible use starts with responsible parenting and the first step in creating good habits for children is role modelling these behaviours for them. Electronic use in and of itself is not bad, but when use become too much it can impede on many aspects of our lives, including our connection with one another.

Taneil Zanidean is a health promotion facilitator with AHS Addiction and Mental Health. She can be reached via e-mail: taneil.zanidean@ahs.ca

Janine Hazelaar is a child and youth development specialist with AHS Addiction & Mental Health and can be contacted at Janine.hazelaar@ahs.ca

— References

American Academy of Pediatrics (2016, October 21). American Academy of Pediatrics announces new recommendations for children’s media use. Retrieved from American-Academyof-Pediatrics-Announces-NewRecommendations-for-Childrens-Media-Use

Kardaras, N. (2016). Glow Kids. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.