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Danielle Mathews

Lisa Cook

ENG 1102

7 April 2020

How Does Screen Time Affect Children

Media, whether it is television, the internet, or video games, has immersed children in

recent years. And with the rise of technology and increased accessibility to the internet, people

all over the world have been affected physically, psychologically, and socially by the hours spent

on their screens.

The problem that currently exists is not the technology itself but the way it is being used.

Serious damage can happen to the body as a result of too much screen time; a study done by

Harvard showed holding an electronic device too low in the lap puts neck muscles and the bones

at the top of the spine in an unnatural position. This position strains muscles, ligaments, nerves,

spinal discs, and tendons [Publishing]. Another recent study shows over 75% of people between

18-44 years old have an average of 2 hours in a day (not including sleep) when their phones are

not with them. This explains why terms such as ‘text neck’ or ‘tech neck’ have come up in recent

years, explaining the phenomena of the upper back and neck pain and muscle spasms due to the

hours spent looking at our devices [Publishing].

Another major physical effect associated with screen time is obesity; there are many links

connecting excessive screen time to childhood obesity. This could be because of increased eating

while using screens, seeing commercials for unhealthy food will make the children eat it too, and

when too much screen time disrupts sleep, that in turn affects food choices such as eating more

outside of meals and more snacking [Robinson]. But obesity is not the only negative effect from
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the relationship between screens and a lack of sleep. Most humans stick to a circadian rhythm,

which means the brighter it is outside, the more we become alert and when it becomes dark, a

hormone called melatonin is produced to bring about sleepiness. The blue light from screens is

similar to sunlight, which means when using screens at night, the body is tricked into thinking it

is still daytime. Eventually, this leads to the body producing less melatonin and messes with the

human sleep cycle. Besides decreasing the levels of melatonin, some other factors of screen-time

that hurt the sleep cycle are the sounds, vibrations, and lights of a television or phone running in

the background [Pacheco].

One of the biggest negative physical effects that has come with screen time, and social

media, in particular, is the high rise of eating disorders in children and teenagers. Before the rise

of smartphones and social media, the only time a teenager had a chance to compare their bodies

to others was at a pool or in a locker room but now they are constantly surrounded by reminders

that they do not look like the photoshopped fitness model on Instagram. And although there is no

cause and effect relationship between social media and eating disorders such as anorexia or

purging disorder, there is a very clear link between the two (Sedgwick). Social media gives

people, especially young females who are already suffering from eating disorders, the wrong

perception of what a person should look like; with photoshopped photos and photos of

celebrities, models, and athletes being all over the media, there is no doubt this leads many of the

younger generations to believe that is what they are supposed to look like in reality. This leads to

other problems such as feeling depressed, lonely, and anxious (Sedgwick).

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in children of years 19 and younger.

Although more research needs to be done as the use of technology increases in our daily lives,

recent studies have come to the conclusion that “problematic screentime use” or PSU does
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impact the risk of suicide, especially the risk of attempts (Sedgwick). The common threads

between suicide and screentime are, once again, depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.

There are many reasons why mental illnesses and screen time are highly associated: all

the hours spent on ‘social media’ are actually not very social because it is spent with our heads

stuffed in an electronic device, not connecting to actual real-life people. Even the screentime

from going to a movie with a friend does not help connection. This lack of time with real people

can lead to depression, loneliness, and anxiety. As discussed earlier, the blue light from screens

prevent melatonin from being produced and this leads to a lack of sleep which in turn leads to

higher mood swings and less focus, and as this is continued for multiple nights, it can lead to

depression, anxiety and even contribute to more serious health issues such as maniac and bipolar

episodes. When going through a stressful situation, many people tend to sit in front of a TV or

watch random videos on YouTube for multiple hours to get some relief from the stress, but in

actuality, it distracts people from the problem and “suppresses the emotions” [LeBauer]. Bottling

in those emotions can lead to anxiety or depression. As people watch more TV, use their phones

and play more video games, there is more gray matter forming in the brain, and responding to

texts or other social media interactions or winning a level in a video game creates a reward signal

in our brain, which can be highly addictive. Eventually, this can become a vicious cycle which

gets repeated over again until it gets too late to easily quit or cut down [LeBauer].

One of the biggest questions in recent history when it comes to screen time is: does

excessive screen time lead to loneliness or does loneliness lead to excessive screen time? There

are many benefits from connecting to family, friends, and others; it pushes up the happy meter,

increases the quality of health, strengthens the immune system, lowers anxiety and depression,

and increases self-esteem [Kelly]. But as important as they are, it is important to know when to
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take a break and disconnect. Even though connecting to people online can be a positive

experience, it can lead to feelings of loneliness. There is evidence of people that use social media

heavily feeling more loneliness than the average person, but there is also evidence to show social

media decreases loneliness among social people. It is a fine balance between the real world and

the online world that works best. It is not social media itself that causes loneliness but it is the

way it is used that causes a person to feel more or less lonely [Patulny].

An unhealthy duration of exposure to screen time not only affects individual human

beings but also affects the way we, as individuals, interact with the rest of society. Many

important studies reveal how too much screen time affects individuals, especially within a

society, are only beginning to come to light now. These studies help us understand what social

consequences we can expect as digital media, social media particularly, becomes more ingrained

into the life of people, especially when it comes to reading emotions in other people, language

delays, and cyberbullying.

One of the biggest consequences society is facing because of social media is the way in

which people interact with each other; a 2014 article published in the journal “Computers in

Human Behavior” revealed children who engage with social media and other forms of digital

entertainment are more likely to have a decreased ability to read other people’s emotions

[Morin]. The study divided a group of students into two groups: a control group and an

experimental group. Both groups were shown video clips with muted audio and asked to

recognize people’s emotional states only by expressions and non-verbal cues [Morin]. Following

the initial assessment, the experimental group was taken to a 5-day camp where physical activity

and human interaction took place with no virtual media allowed while the control group

continued their normal day-to-day activities. After five days, both groups underwent the same
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assessment. The experimental group showed dramatic improvement while the control group

barely showed any change. Why did this happen? Not surprisingly, kids (and even adults) who

interact with the world through a touchscreen device do not actively learn how to interact

appropriately with other individuals [Morin]. Not being able to read people’s body language

reduces our ability to practice empathy. Just as we need to go to the gym to workout and become

stronger, so to do we need to get out into the world and condition ourselves to read people.

A study that was presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting indicates

placing digital media devices in the hands of young children may delay their ability to speak

[American]. The study had 1077 children (between the ages of 6 months and 24 months) and was

conducted between 2011-2015. Over the course of the experiment, researchers saw for each

30-minute increase in handheld screen time, a 49 percent increased risk of expressive speech

delay [American]. While digital devices play an important role in keeping the world connected

and moving forward, allowing infants to freely access digital devices without restraints could be

dangerous to their ability to develop and grow in how they interact with the world. Parents who

work hard to provide for their family find it easier to hand their kids a digital device to distract

them may not be aware of the long-term effects these tiny decisions have on the well-being of

their children.

Cyberbullying is still another consequence of rapid increases in screen time. As screen

time consumption increases and “social media platforms multiply, various new forms of

cyberbullying become more and more prevalent. Specific forms of cyberbullying include

“threatening texts, tweets, or emails; negative comments and posts; photoshopped images;

identity theft; etc.” [Melson].

Cyberbullying, language delays, not being able to read emotions in other people are

important social consequences to think through. They are not the only consequences to keep in

mind, however. A major portion of screen time for students goes to keeping up with social

media. The National Association of School Psychologists lists seven potential risks associated

with social media use, including cyberbullying, spreading of rumors and fake news, spreading

embarrassing or inappropriate information, triggering crises, affecting the privacy of students,

social media depression, and the inability for parents to learn the various social media platforms

[National]. Eastern Washington University collected results from various studies on how

excessive screen time could prove detrimental to children, and some of this included obesity,

sleep problems, and mental health problems [Screen].

But along with the bad consequences of screentime, there are also benefits that come with

it. In a study conducted in 2013, a children’s research institute in Australia found out the literacy

of 4-year-olds improved with computer use. Coming into contact with keyboards and screens

helped the children understand the alphabets more than others their age (13). Another study

conducted by the University of Michigan found computer games have brain training exercises

built into them improved the grades of eight and nine-year-olds within a few weeks. They used

the program for fifteen minutes every day and even ninety days after the testing time, the

children participating scored better than their peers in “abstract reasoning and problem-solving

questions” (13). Another benefit of screens in school settings is when working on a computer, it

can be programmed to run at the child’s pace instead of it being too fast for some or too slow for

others. Students who have a hard time understanding the syllabus can have more time to work

while the ones who finish their work quickly can move on to the next section of the class. With

programs like these, teachers do not have to spend time trying to figure out how to give enough
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attention to each child in the class. Math, foreign languages, physics; all have the common nature

of only being fully understood after repetitive practice. Having self-paced programs on

computers makes it more efficient to learn something new. Students can repeat sections over

again until they master them, instead of being pushed along to keep up with the rest of the class

[7 Ways]. Teachers can do everything possible but there is only so much humans are capable of.

With the rise of technology, they can now provide “intensive instruction and instant feedback” [7

Ways] that students otherwise have never gotten the chance to receive. Taking steps to do so

could save a lot of time, money, resources, and energy in the long run.

eSports has been gaining more friction in recent years, with the market value being a little

more than 1.08 billion dollars. New research shows playing action video games have a “direct

correlation” [Humbe] with improvement in players’ sensory skills, motor skills, and hand-eye

coordination. In 2007, while eSports was still something only for ‘nerds’ and ‘geeks’, a study

was conducted and showed surgical residents and medical students that actively play video

games which have action did better on the laparoscopic surgery simulator. If a surgeon played for

more than three hours, they had 37% fewer errors and did 42% better on the simulator than their

peers who did not play or just rarely played video games [Humbe]. Even playing video games

prior to surgery assisted the surgeons to complete the surgery faster than the one who did not

play before the surgery. As more studies being conducted come to the same conclusion,

professionals are starting to question if this can be implemented in schools to help students and

improve the skills needed as surgeons and doctors [Humbe].

Through video games and other social media, new connections can be made and old

connections can be restored. Screen use can be used by children to build relationships and learn

social skills, but the secret to keeping it safe is to have a healthy balance between online
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interactions and socializing with real-life face-to-face interactions [Orlando]. Understanding

non-verbal cues, eye contact, and body language are one of the main reasons why socializing

cannot be done completely online; but it can still be useful especially during times like COVID.

Using screens to keep in touch with family and friends to connect, watching movies or tv shows

every now and then as a family as part of family time, playing educational games or even video

games can help children build social skills and help them understand how to work in a team

[Orlando].

One of the greatest gifts of screens, one can argue, is the gift of globalization through

social media. With technology spreading far and wide across the globe, the use of social media

correlates with that and becomes more abundant too. This new way of connecting with people

around the world is changing how teenagers and young adults from younger generations view the

world. To start with, problems that used to be just one country’s problem can become a

worldwide issue. For example, India’s health crisis with the latest wave of COVID has rallied

people from all over the world to donate their money, time, and skills to the cause; news of the

new wave would not have reached the rest of the world as quickly as it did without the use of

social media. Another example is the social movement for freedom and democracy, Euromaidan,

which is happening in Ukraine; if not for social media platforms like Twitter, only people in

Ukraine and its surrounding areas would have known about Euromaidan. “Twitter is essential for

the Ukraine protest because it provides the connection to further their protest by spreading

information and gaining participants. In the country, its main use is to gather protesters and

release events, but worldwide, it is used as a source of information for outsiders [Bieber].

Technology combined with globalization can be unstoppable if used in the right ways and can

provide a faster and more efficient way to spread information and keep people connected.
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Growing up in India, my parents made the decision to not have a television in the house

and so this forced my siblings and me to go outside and play with our neighbors. Looking back

now, that decision may have been one of my parents’ greatest gifts to us. We would play cricket,

cops and robbers, soccer, climb unfinished houses, have bake sales (and make our parents buy all

the food), play basketball, and do so many other fun activities. The first best part of doing that

was we made friends for life, who we still talk to almost every day; and the second best part was

that while playing basketball with the neighborhood kids and roughing it up with them, it opened

doors I could not even imagine of before. I got the chance to represent my school and my state in

the National Championship (and we won!), I got the opportunity to come to America to play ball,

which is something one can only dream of as a kid growing up halfway across the world, and I

have met so many amazing people from around the world all because of the love of a sport. So

no, I do not believe screens are bad, but I do believe we have become so immersed in the world

of Netflix, the likes on Instagram, and the comments on Facebook that we forgot how to look up

and be grateful for the people and things we have right in front of us.

Technology, screens, and social media have proven to be great soldiers in a war, but it

mostly depends on how it is being used. When being used to cyberbully, spread false

information, push anxiety and depression, cause difficulties at school, or steal private

information, it should be considered a weapon of mass destruction. But when it is used for good,

such as rallying people all around the world for a noble cause, making life less hectic for teachers

and professors, creating community, benefiting people physically through video games, or

keeping people from going insane during COVID through social media platforms like Facetime

and Skype, it can be considered as one of man’s finest tools and best friends. As more people use

it due to COVID, the best way to not get negatively affected whether it be physically,
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psychologically, or socially, is not by being a slave to the screen but by controlling it and making

it work for you. Finding the fine line between that is one of the greatest challenges in this

generation and will be for the future generations too. The greatest power we can give ourselves

in the coming years is the power of knowing how to live in the moment because without it we

might just drown in the sea of screens and technology.

Works Cited

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medium.com/@jessbiebss/impact-of-the-globalization-of-social-media-7f8e956c10ae.

Humbe, Anisha. “Video Games and Hand-Eye Coordination.” IST 446 Game Design and

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