Screen Generation
The generation of “digital natives” born after 2011 consumes the most screen time in all of human history. Children 10 and younger, including preschoolers, spend an average of four to six hours in front of screens.
This time period is huge compared to the current generation X (ages 41-55) who were first exposed to a lot of TV and home video games. Today’s toddlers also spend more screen time than millennials (ages 25-40) and even some Gen Zers (ages 15-24).
This is a global phenomenon – regardless of country, race or religion. And who can blame them? It’s a natural by-product of the proliferation of smartphones and tablets.
Parents and scientists naturally want to know if screen time is safe, and how much time is okay or inappropriate? We still don’t have a definitive answer. It takes more than 20 years to conduct scientific research. Ongoing research on the effects of digital tools on children’s brains, behavior and health is only seven to ten years old.
We have to wait until the kids are in their teens or twenties to see any impact. But research aside, many have observed clear consequences in children and teens.
Teachers, pediatricians and psychologists have sounded the alarm about record numbers of children with interaction or temperament disorders, problems with language development and more. The higher the screen load, the more children suffered from sleep, attention and learning difficulties, as well as a significant decline in fitness. As young brains, constantly stimulated by sounds and media, they struggle in school, especially when tasks require concentration, such as B, reading, and writing.
Screen learning is also not as effective as face-to-face learning because the brain is not as stimulated as it is in real life. Of course, children’s screen addiction is compounded by the fact that their parents are also using their devices, touching their smartphones an average of 200 times a day.
Teens and gamers fared worse, too. They work an average of 6 to 13 hours a day, and many cannot tolerate less. As stated by the World Health Organization, screen addiction has been an officially recognized disease since 2018. At the same time, however, the positive impact of the game has also been documented. Many longtime gamers do surprisingly well on tests of concentration — even if they have better eyesight. Gaming technology is also being developed to help people with vision, sensory and memory problems
In other words, digital devices are not inherently good or bad. They serve multiple functions beyond entertainment or distraction. It comes down to how we use it. It is not healthy for young children to have time to look at screens. For teens, research is ongoing, but it’s probably still a good idea to limit the amount of time spent with electronics. Now, most families must independently determine the right amount of credit—screen time and nonscreen time.
Directed by: Raphaël Hitier
