Is Screen Time Making Our Kids Unhappy?
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
Recent studies have shown steep drops in teenagers’ self-reported feelings of well-being and steep rises in rates of teen depression. The changes coincide with the rapid adoption of smartphone technology. Some experts have linked the two trends. Clearly, we should be attentive to our children’s emotional states. But should we be worried about the time they spend online and on their phones?
Katherine Dahlsgaard, PhD, Clinical Director of the Anxiety Behaviors Clinic at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), helps us understand what the research does and doesn’t show, and how we should respond as parents.
“We’ve known from the time of Aristotle that the way to be happy is to do things in moderation,” says Dr. Dahlsgaard. “This is not new news. And it applies to our current concerns about our children’s (and our own) use of screen technology, such as smartphones, tablets and computers.”
Research on the effects of technology use on mental health has been mixed, she explains. Some studies have shown a relationship, and others have found none. So the jury is still out. But it is known — with certainty — that anything done to excess leads to unhappiness, whether it’s something obvious, like watching TV or eating junk food, or something typically linked to positive mental health, like exercise. Even too much of a good thing will make us unhappy.
Two recent studies (published in the journals Emotion and Psychological Science) have found curvilinear effects, showing that moderate recreational use of screen technology — one to two hours a day — is not associated with declines in well-being; however, use beyond that threshold is linked with negative mental health effects.
“This data supports the notion that most activities, when done in moderation, typically do no harm,” says Dr. Dahlsgaard. “Moreover, smartphones and other screen technologies are here to stay. So banning them is not an option. Nor does the data suggest that banning them would be helpful.”
That said, Dr. Dahlsgaard suggests that parents would be wise to set limits on screen use in the same way they set other limits on their children, with the aim of improving their well-being. We establish bedtimes and limit junk food for the sake of our children’s health. And we sometimes allow those limits to bend — think Super Bowl and holidays.
When setting limits on screen time and smartphone use, parents need to acknowledge that a lot is out of their control, particularly as their children get older. So it’s a good strategy to start young.
Dr. Dahlsgaard suggests some limits to apply, and ways to apply them, in your family:
Finally, given those limitations, let your child enjoy their screen time. There is happiness in moderation. Getting anxious about any and all time your children spend on a smart phone or other device is comparable to our parents being anxious about the time we spent with video games or role-playing games. We turned out OK, didn’t we?
Categories: Health Tip of the Week