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What Can Too Much Screen Time Do to Kids?
It seems that everywhere you look, there’s a screen staring back at you. They’re almost omnipresent in our society these days. If you go out, you can see people surfing the web on their phones while they wait for the bus or Subway, or sending text messages while walking and, unfortunately, while stopped at the red light while driving (Please don’t ever do this!). It’s not uncommon to see kids on their phones even while watching a TV show. It seems that every second we’re not engaging in active conversation with someone else, we fill the downtime with our phones. In fact, sometimes our eyes stay glued to our phones even when we should be talking with other people, a rude trend the internet has collectively dubbed “phubbing.”
There have been numerous studies done that show the convenience and instant gratification of using mobile devices like phones or tablets significantly alters our behavior patterns. In a groundbreaking documentary, The Social Dilemma shows compelling evidence for the hypothesis that the algorithms that manage our social media feeds, rule search engine results, and curate what sorts of news articles we see are specifically designed to provide little dopamine hits to keep you hooked on scrolling. In essence, screen usage and the digital world that they let us peer into acts as a sort of drug. But there are real-world consequences, both mental and physical, for prolonged screen usage. And that’s just for the adults!
So what happens if we expose teenagers, whose mind and body are undergoing significant changes during adolescence, to the potentially mind- and body-altering world of screens for too long? The simple answer is, it isn’t good. However, we also need to take into account just how much of the world is online these days. Completely isolating your teen from cyberspace can also have a negative impact on their wellbeing.
It’s all about finding a healthy middle ground. That’s why today’s expert guide from the eye care professionals at Clarkson Eyecare is all about the impact of too much screen time on teens, and what a healthy amount of screen time for your 13 to 17-year-old is.
Teenagers Spend an Excessive Amount of Time in Front of Screens
To find the solution, we first need a better understanding of the problem. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry found that the average teenager spends around nine hours a day in front of screens! And that’s not even taking into account time spent in front of screens for schoolwork or studying. Considering the average teenager is awake for 15-17 hours each day, that means over half of all time spent awake is spent in front of phones, tablets, computers, and the television. That’s a significant amount of time spent interacting with digital devices. It also means that teenagers are spending less and less time engaging in real-life activities and socializing in person.
However, there’s also an increasing amount of socialization that has moved online. A Pew Research Center study from 2010 noted that a third of American teenagers send around 100 text messages a day. A more recent study found that teens receive around 237 notifications a day, ranging from social media, text messages, app reminders, and more. As mobile devices have continued to advance, the ways in which we communicate with each other have changed. Now it’s as simple as lifting up your phone and tapping a screen to talk to your friends and family.
The result is screens have become a double-edged sword. Too much screen time can lead to mental and physical problems, while too little can lead teens to feel isolated from their friends, causing anxiety and depression.
How Too Much Screen Time Affects Teenagers
There are countless studies that show screen time in general is bad for us. But there has been more interest of late in determining the impact of ever-present screens on kids and teens. Gen Z is the first generation to have been raised entirely in a world where the internet and screens were always present. In some cases it’s caused culture shock as Gen Z begins to enter the workforce with a completely different set of values and beliefs shaped by an always-on worldview.
There have already been a number of studies done examining both the mental and physical affects of screen time on teenagers. In addition, more and more medical professionals have begun noticing some peculiarities associated with overuse of digital devices (eye doctors included). Broadly speaking, the effects of screen time on teenagers can be divided into two categories:
Mental/Emotional
Physical
Screens, Teens, and Emotional Well-Being
At this point everyone has a general understanding of the term “cyberbullying.” While the internet has opened up untold avenues of learning and communication, it’s also given the worst of people a way to reach you day or night. Many are familiar with cases like the Amanda Todd story that offer proof that what is said and experienced online can have real-world consequences. But it goes much further beyond that.
There have been several studies which link excessive screen time to increased feelings of anxiety or depression.
Earlier we mentioned how screen usage can act as a sort of drug. The flashy images commonly found in digital media can excite and entertain us, granting us small releases of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain commonly associated with pleasure or joy. Over time, your brain gets trained to expect constant doses of dopamine. That’s why whenever the internet goes out or you’re in a situation where you can’t check your phone, such as on an airplane, you experience panic or restlessness. We’ve quite literally become addicted to our phones. It creates a set of symptoms Dr. Kathryn Lorenz of Upper Valley Family Medicine refers to as “screen addition.”
Aside from anxiety, the National Institute on Drug Abuse states that increased screen time can lead to much higher levels of depression in teens. The link between screens and depression is still being studied, but some scientists claim the depression is partly resulting from constantly seeing peers’ carefully curated social media lives online. This results in 24/7 comparisons between themselves and their friends or classmates, even if the persona displayed online isn’t even close to reality. It’s also been suggested that depression may stem from a lack of accomplishment or self-worth. Prolonged screen time tends to encourage teens to neglect their chores, avoid going outside, and scroll rather than study. If they become less physically fit and their grades begin to slip, it can have a significant impact on their sense of self. Additionally, avoiding outdoor activities can lead to less vitamin D intake, which has been linked to symptoms of depression.
Screen Time and the Physical Toll on Teens
We’ve already mentioned how more scrolling usually means less outdoor strolling for teens. A lack of exercise and movement can lead to all sorts of health problems. But physicians have begun noticing other completely unanticipated consequences from increased digital interaction.
Some orthopedic doctors at John Hopkins have begun to notice an increase in younger patients. The culprit is overreliance on digital devices in our day-to-day lives. Whether studying on laptops, or looking through TikTok’s For You feed, teens tend to hunch over as they spend increasing amounts of time gazing down at their phones or tablets. Over time, this bad posture can lead to pain and even serious mobility issues later in life.
Meanwhile, some research has sought to explain how the mind-altering impact of screens works on the rapidly developing adolescent brain. One study demonstrated that kids who use screens for seven hours or more a day developed a thinner cortex, the outer part of the brain responsible for information processing. While the full consequences of this are still being studied, it’s predicted that thinner cortexes may impact reasoning ability and memory later in life.
Finally, eye doctors have noticed something peculiar too. More screen time has a positive correlation with dry eye disease. This is because when we focus on screens, we tend to blink less often, prolonging the duration between refreshes of the tear film that keeps our eyes moist and healthy. This leads to increased risk of developing dry eye disease. In fact, the eye care industry has begun noticing a trend of dry eye diseases diagnoses starting to occur younger and younger. Unfortunately, dry eyes can seriously impact overall ocular health over time. If left untreated, it can lead to increased risk of corneal scratches and abrasions, conjunctivitis, corneal inflammation (keratitis) or infections, and difficulties with reading or driving, photophobia (sensitivity to light), and frequent headaches.
In other words, the more time teens spend looking at screens, the more adverse health effects they’re likely to experience.
What to Do About Your Teen’s Screen Time
The first thing you need to do is set healthy limits on how long your teen can spend looking at screens. Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, Director of Psychology and Neuropsychology at John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital acknowledges that you can’t just force your teen to quit using their devices cold turkey. As mentioned previously, an increasing amount of socialization is done online. Isolating teens from their friends is just as likely to lead to depression as letting them doom scroll infinitely. Dr. Katzenstein suggests limiting teens to two or fewer hours of screen time a day. A global study conducted by the University of Queensland supports this limit, demonstrating that on average, feelings of anxiety and depression begin to increase in teen girls after 75 minutes of screen time, and in teen boys after 105 minutes of screen time.
However, it’s noted that for the best results, parents need to emulate the behavior they expect from their teenagers. That means less screen time for you too.
While this takes care of many of the mental impacts of screentime, other solutions are needed for the more physical changes. Dr. Gregory Hahn of John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital says the key to preventing lifelong orthopedic problems in kids and teens is catching bad posture habits early and educating them on how to correct those habits. This includes teaching them how to notice their own bad posture, to change the way they use devices such as sitting at tables or in chairs that provide more back support, and advocating for frequent breaks whether studying or watching YouTube.
Finally, it’s important to address the increasing frequency of dry eye disease in kids and teens. One of the easiest things teens can do is practice what we call the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, they need to stop looking at their screen and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This helps to ensure teens are blinking enough and not straining their eyes too much. Another solution is using blue light glasses. Many electronic screens emit something called blue light, a high-energy wavelength of light that is only slightly less energetic than UV light. Increased exposure to blue light has also been linked to digital eye strain and altering blinking patterns, both things that can lead to dry eye disease. Blue light glasses work by filtering out blue light entering your eyes, allowing you to look at screens without worrying about its harmful effects.
Overcome Digital Eye Strain and Dry Eye at Clarkson Eyecare
It’s nearly impossible to keep your teen completely shielded from digital screens. They’re everywhere you turn, and are increasingly used in schools to teach and study. However, that doesn’t mean the rising frequency of teenage screen usage shouldn’t be cause for concern. Increased screentime has a number of negative impacts on a teenager’s health, impacting them both physically and emotionally.
While limiting screen time helps, it’s also a good idea to get your child’s eyes checked out to make sure they aren’t experiencing any negative effects from gazing at screens frequently. Dry eye disease can cause discomfort and negatively impact the ability to read, study, and drive. Blue light from screens can also cause digital eye fatigue, frequent headaches, and even disrupted sleep, preventing teens from forming neuropathways in the brain at night and impacting learning. At Clarkson Eyecare, we care about helping your teen get all the tools they need to succeed. Whether that’s a custom dry eye treatment plan or a brand new pair of blue light glasses, we can help.
Find your nearest Clarkson Eyecare today and book an appointment to help your teen overcome the negative side effects of increased screentime.