Raising Kids Beyond Screens
Excess screen time harms children and adolescents’ social skills, but it also affects their behavior similarly to dementia, presenting as distractibility and memory deficit. To help combat this, an extension expert says parents should limit screen time, encourage children’s off-screen interests, and closely monitor online activities.
For parents who want to limit their children's screen time, it's important to first be on the same page about what rules or restrictions to put in place.
Brittney Schrick, extension associate professor and family life specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said, “Junior and senior high students are being expected to constantly multi-task in a way that’s not really even possible for most adults, but especially not for a developing brain. They’re learning that that’s how you function in the world, and then the same adults who are asking them to do these things get frustrated when they get distracted.”
For example, if a student is working on algebra homework, they may be using a paper worksheet, but their textbook is an eBook, so they have that open in a browser for reference. Often, they use their phone as a calculator, and they are using another internet tab to review their teacher’s notes. Then, the moment a notification pops up on their phone, the distraction loop begins.
Unless you’re somebody who has an excellent ability to delay gratification, or you are exceptionally strong-willed for a kid, you’re going to check that notification and then scroll on your phone. There aren’t many scenarios in which we can ‘go back’ to the old ways. All the money that used to be spent on textbooks is now being spent on eBooks and other programs. But it’s not developmentally appropriate for kids to manage things that way.
Tori Luker, Miller County Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Science, says, “In addition to phone and screen use eating up time that children used to spend outside doing physical activities or socializing with friends, the impact is deeper than many parents realize.”
“A lot of the effects of screen time look similar to the effects of dementia, at least behaviorally,” Schrick said. “This presents as distractibility, executive function loss, lack of executive function development, and memory deficit, especially short-term and working memory.”
According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control over a two-and-a-half-year period, approximately one-half of teenagers had four or more hours of daily screen time, and these youth were more likely to recently experience a higher rate of anxiety or depression.
Related to schoolwork, Luker says students are missing out on aspects of memorization, such as their multiplication tables, and improving handwriting—making sure they can communicate in more than one way.
If parents are able to at least provide encouragement and opportunities for their kids to explore academic topics or their own curiosity about different things without it being entirely on a screen, they’re probably going to be making an improvement in their kids’ future academic and social lives. It is important for parents to actively engage with their kids, including while they are using their devices.
Implement changes. Model good behavior. Implement this lifestyle of little to no screen time as early as possible. “It is much easier to start out with setting screen time limits than it is to take time away later,” says Tori. “If you start with the lifestyle, as a family, that really lends itself to having limited access to screens, it’s going to be simpler.”
And it is critical for parents to model healthy screen and phone use. Modeling is absolutely crucial, and that includes alternate activities. What else can you be doing in the time you are not spending on your phone? You are teaching kids how to spend their time.
“It takes work to implement such a big change,” Schrick said. “You have to maintain it consistently, and you have to be willing to revise your plan if something doesn’t work. You can’t give up after the first bump in the road. It takes persistence, insistence, and determination. You have to be willing to stay firm and strong about it.”
The Cooperative Extension Service suggests the “Wait Until 8th” program for parents. The program encourages parents to wait until after eighth grade to give their child a smartphone. It includes educational resources and guides for recruiting other families to delay the smartphone.
Using parental controls, such as setting screen limits on certain apps or setting up devices to only be used during certain hours of the day, is also recommended.
