Introduction
With the technological advancements the world has seen in recent years, more and more people are utilizing the benefits of recent technology to enhance their lives. This technology can include everything from using a tablet to read e-books, using a messenger app on their phone to communicate with friends, and watching funny videos on their laptops while eating a snack. However, as technology is ever-evolving and becoming cheaper and easier to acquire, screen time among children is also increasing. The amount of time that children, adolescents, and teens hang out on their smartphones and other handheld devices is staggering. For example, on average, a child between the ages of eight and eighteen spends approximately 7-8 hours a day of screen use (Paulus et al. 645). While screen time is not necessarily detrimental to children’s development, allowing them to spend too much time staring at a glowing screen can have negative consequences for their health and happiness. The purpose of this essay is to defend the position that screen time harms children.
Background Review
In recent years, there has been a significant amount of discussion about how too much time in front of screens is detrimental to children. According to Twenge et al., when children spend more than two hours per day in front of screens, it can lead to decreased empathy and an increased likelihood of anxiety and depression. (767). The problem is that many parents are unaware of the dangers of screen time and give their kids too much time in front of computers, tablets, and phones. This argument is because they believe they are helping their children learn or have fun by giving them these devices. However, Twenge et al. research has shown that this is not true. (769). The more time kids spend looking at screens, the less likely they will be able to develop the social skills needed for growing up into happy adults who can form healthy relationships with others.
When parents give their children too much screen time, they rob them of an important part of their childhood development – being able to interact with other humans face-to-face, instead of encouraging kids to get outside and play sports or go exploring together as a family unit which should be happening more often than it does. People are putting them in front of computer monitors where they spend most of their time playing video games and watching unnecessary online content.
Critical Analysis
In the modern era, it is hard to find a parent who does not have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Many parents do not realize that these devices can harm their children. The effects are not immediate but rather long-term and pervasive (Lissak 154). It is because screen time, especially for children, is an unnatural process. It requires a level of focus that is unnatural to children and can cause them to lose their ability to focus on anything else in their lives. For example, when children play outside, they naturally focus on exploring and playing with other children. However, when they sit down in front of the TV, their attention is focused on what is happening on the screen in front of them. It can cause them to lose interest in playing with other children or even interacting with adults because they have become accustomed to passively receiving information through screens.
They may also feel compelled to continue using screens as they get older because they have been trained by society and technology companies alike that this is how things work. Further, there is some reward waiting for them if they keep doing what they are doing until the end. Sometimes this manifests itself as anxiety when kids try to transition back into more natural forms of communication. Another problem with screen time is that it interferes with sleep cycles. The blue light emitted from screens can interfere with melatonin production and make it difficult for the body to fall asleep (Madigan et al. 246). It can lead to chronic sleep deprivation, linked to obesity and other health problems in children.
Finally, children spend every hour in front of a screen, and the more likely they are to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Children who spend an inordinate amount of time surfing the Internet and playing video games are at risk for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Paulus et al. 646). The constant moving images on a monitor also keep children’s brains from being stimulated by other stimuli, preventing them from exploring and participating in physical activities like sports. Screens limit a child’s social interaction with the world around them, contributing to the introverted personality traits often associated with ADHD. They also expose children to inaccurate information they use as sources in their school papers. Overall, screens have very negative effects on children. Kids should spend more time exploring the world around them through outdoor play and social interactions rather than sitting motionless for hours watching TV or going online.
Supportive Context
Multiple sources support the argument that screen time has adverse effects on children. Several studies link long hours in front of screens to health issues like obesity, disturbed sleep, and attention deficit disorder. One study found that children who watch two hours or more of TV daily are significantly more likely to be overweight than those who watch less than two hours (Lissak 150). Another study found that children who played video games for more than one hour per day were more likely to report sleep problems (Paulus et al. 648). According to third research, children who spent five or more hours per week playing video games had poorer reading rates than those who played less (Twenge et al. 772).
A fourth study examined the differences in brain function between children who spend more than two hours watching television per day and those who do not (Madigan et al. 247). The findings indicated that children who regularly viewed more than two hours of television daily exhibited decreased activity in specific brain regions. It was associated with attention span and cognitive control more than children who did not watch as much television. In addition to the negative effects on health and cognitive development, there are risks associated with exposure to violent content in media. According to one study, exposure to violent media increases aggressive behavior in young adults (Wong et al. 335). Another study found that boys who watched violent media tended to have lower empathy scores than boys who did not (Lissak 155). Moreover, according to Madigan et al., repetitive use of technology can make kids feel lonely and isolated from their peers (249).
Too much time spent in front of the TV or playing video games has harmful effects, according to these researchers. While some benefits may be associated with these activities, such as relieving stress, they should not be considered replacements for more beneficial forms of entertainment. Such as reading books or playing board games with friends and family members. Parents must keep a close watch on how much time their children spend in front of the TV or playing video games. It will help them find healthy ways to engage with technology instead of letting it take over their lives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, though the technology is a positive invention in modern society, the amount of time spent using technology impacts one’s health. People need to realize that there is a line between how much technology is good for them and how much can be harmful. Using technology may have many negative health effects on children as well. It is a ubiquitous fact of today’s society that children are regularly exposed to television, computers, and video games. The power of these devices is increasingly profound, with studies linking screen time to autism spectrum disorder.
Kids are further concerned with their phones and what social media says about them, that they often forget about real life and the people in it. As teens become obsessed with adding more selfies to their Instagram or posting with specific hashtags, they get fewer steps in their day because of all the gaming and phone usage. Screen time is also starting to affect kids’ brain development by not being able to focus or multitask effectively. Before the advent of instruction can effectively moderate child screen time, the parents and educators of these children need to understand the potential dangers associated with prolonged exposure to these electronic devices.
Works Cited
Lissak, Gadi. “Adverse Physiological and Psychological Effects of Screen Time on Children and Adolescents: Literature Review and Case Study.” Environmental Research 164, 2018, pp. 149-157.
Madigan, Sheri, et al. “Association Between Screen Time and Children’s Performance on a Developmental Screening Test.” JAMA pediatrics 173.3, 2019, pp. 244-250.
Paulus, Frank W., et al. “Internet Gaming Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.” Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 60.7, 2018, pp. 645-659.
Twenge, Jean M., Gabrielle N. Martin, and W. Keith Campbell. “Decreases in Psychological Well-Being Among American Adolescents after 2012 and Links to Screen Time During the Rise of Smartphone Technology.” Emotion 18.6, 2018, pp. 765–780.
Wong, Chee Wai, et al. “Digital Screen Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Risk for a Further Myopia Boom.” American journal of ophthalmology 223, 2021, pp. 333-337.