News

Aug 02, 2023

Marin Voice: We need to understand impact of ‘screen time’ on child development

Digital technology and the use of screens has transformed society in just a few short decades. From the way we connect, talk, work, educate and entertain ourselves, for most of us, our daily lives

Digital technology and the use of screens has transformed society in just a few short decades. From the way we connect, talk, work, educate and entertain ourselves, for most of us, our daily lives rely on networked digital access in ways that have increased efficiency, productivity and possibility.

And yet something else has profoundly changed with this radical transition, in ways we are just beginning to understand: the experience of childhood.

Most of our children are spending several hours every day using screens and a remarkable amount of that screen time is for entertainment. The average post-pandemic recreational screen time for children between 2 and 5 years old is over three hours a day. For ages 4 to 12, that number rises to more than five hours and for teenagers ages 13 to18 it’s a whopping 8.6 hours of “fun” screen time. Now consider that 97% to 98% of minors use the internet or smartphones, and you can see the broad implications at a population level.

At Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, we are deeply concerned with the physical, socioemotional, psychological and cognitive effects massive increases in screen time is having on young people and their well-being.

Use of screens, dependence on digital media and growing obsession with social media now qualifies as a serious public health issue. Like the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink, the impacts of media have become so pervasive that it is fundamentally linked to the nation’s public health.

What do we know of these impacts so far?

One of the earliest consequences screen time researchers noticed for any age were the effects on physical health. From less-healthy diets to sedentary behavior, increased screen time is linked to obesity, lower quality of sleep, disease risk and mortality rates throughout the lifespan.

How is a child’s cognitive development affected by thousands of hours in front of a screen? And what are the social-emotional impacts of what children are seeing and hearing — and doing — online?

Researchers note that of particular concern for children and adolescents are interruptions to everyday interpersonal interactions, the displacement of peer play in early childhood and potential issues of aggression and hyperactivity. All this affects physical and emotional health and well-being — and that’s a public health concern.

Moreover, kids with internet access are often exposed to: personal danger (including predators and “dating” invitations), inappropriate violent or sexual content and persistent targeted advertising. They may be vulnerable to addiction with online video gaming or social media apps or with online gambling. These risks can impact physical safety and psychological well-being— and that’s a public health concern.

Young people involved in texting and social media also face a variety of risks. There is the danger of cyberbullying, distorted body image expectations and a reliance on “impersonal interactions” with others (by communicating by text or messaging rather than visiting or calling). Cyberbullying victims are at more than two times the risk for suicide ideation, two to 4.7 times the risk for self-harm and anywhere from two to four times the risk of suicide attempts, depending on the study. Moreover, any involvement in cyberbullying, from just witnessing to perpetrating, relates to an increased risk of using prescription painkillers, tobacco and alcohol.

To learn more, I invite you to join me at the next Marin Communications Forum on Thursday at 10 a.m. for a free online event about children, digital media and screen time (registration is required). I will be joined by Dr. Jessica Hollman, a pediatrician with Marin Community Clinics, family therapist Jill Boeri representing ScreenSense and Kelly McKinley, CEO of the Bay Area Children’s Museum.

We can agree that digital technology and screens are not going away anytime soon – nor should they. Digital media has brought positive changes in areas such as children’s learning, and in building and maintaining social connections. High-quality content can help teach young children social-emotional skills.

However, the challenge before us is building awareness of just how much digital media has impacted child and youth development, thereby creating a public health issue all its own. We must move forward together to create family and social frameworks for positive and appropriate use.

Kris Perry is the executive director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development. Learn more at www.ChildrenAndScreens.com.

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