The holidays are rapidly approaching. To-do lists and wish lists seem to get longer and longer as the days get shorter and shorter. On many of both those lists are the getting and receiving of the latest new devices. For adults and children alike, visions of a new smartphone, tablet, laptop, gaming device and/or video games are dancing in their heads. While these wonders of technology do make wonderful gifts and have many positive applications, particularly when giving these gifts to children and teenagers, there are some considerations to keep in mind.
First, technology has a serious impact on young people. They spend around six and a half hours a day looking at screens. Much of this screen time appeals to their young brains because of the constant novelty scrolling through pages and sites provides. This pleasure-seeking behavior causes the brain to produce dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter. While adults also engage in these types of behaviors in order to gain the same response, our more developed brains have a greater ability to limit our use of these devices. Younger brains have yet to develop this self-control, which is so essential to success in school and in life. As adults, we must help our children and teenagers learn to practice self-control by limiting how much screen time they have as well as teaching the responsible use of their devices.
As of 2015, almost 70% of beginning high school students had a smartphone. While these phones can often be used for classroom purposes, when not in use for a specific academic purpose, they can still be a distraction, not only to their owners, but to those around them. Phones and other devices become a different type of distraction than just daydreaming or doodling in the margins. While these “low-tech” types of distractions may, in some cases, allow a student the ability to tune out other distractions and focus, the use of devices as a distraction, become the focus. Contrary to popular belief, the brain cannot multitask. Instead, the brain shifts from task to task, much like an oscillating fan, and is not able to fully focus on any one task.
The constant exposure to the novel stimuli these devices provide can cause the young brain to tire and experience decreased performance from overstimulation. Girls, in particular, face increased pressure from social media’s frequent over-emphasis on looks. This constant body consciousness can negatively affect cognitive ability, often permanently. Additionally, for boys and girls, too much screen time can interfere with sleep patterns and can cause test performance to suffer. Besides negative impacts on academic performance, too much time spent with devices limits children’s ability to build friendships.
In order to combat the negative effects of these many devices, parents can take these several steps. As with other areas in their lives, children respond to clear, consistent, and specific boundaries. Talk with your child on what are the acceptable uses and times for their devices. Develop rules for use with them, so that expectations are clear and make sense to your child. Teach your children appropriate digital citizenship by modeling in your use of your own devices what that looks like. Create opportunities for both you and your child to disconnect from your devices and screens and connect with each other. Put those opportunities into a contract that both you and your child must honor.
So, this holiday season, take time to focus less on screen time, and more on “face time.”
