Let's start with some research. Common Sense Media is an awesome organization for parents and educators to find resources on managing life in a digital world. They surveyed teens on screen time and its effect on their lives. What have they found? Teens' relationship with social media is very complicated. For example, according to their 2018 report, "Social media helps alleviate teens’ depression by connecting them to support and inspiration, and also contributes to depression for those who get stuck in a loop of isolation and self-abnegation" (p. 24). Watch the video below to see teens' explanations of this complex relationship. So what do we do? As educators, we have to help students navigate the confusing and sometimes treacherous waters of the digital world. Instead of being unaccepting of teens' obsession with being plugged in all the time, we must accept it and help them. As a mom of two toddlers, I've read time and time again, kids need limits. We adults must provide these limits. I teach my son that, no, it's not ok to touch the hot stove because he'll burn himself. Just like we teach kids limits in these other areas of life, we also have to teach limits on screen time. In addition, we have to address their social-emotional needs and make sure they have the skillset to handle what comes their way. We have to keep lines of communication open so they can discuss what they see and hear. Sometimes, I think adults are just as bad (or worse) than kids. Sometimes, I get sidetracked looking at Snapchat Stories and my daughter so nicely tells me, "Mommy, get off your phone." It happens. Luckily, the tech world understands this, and companies are coming up with solutions to help us and our kids. Apple's newest iOS release unveiled the Screen Time feature, which allows you to monitor your phone usage and the usage of family members. I have mine set so I only get 30 minutes of social media usage per day, and then those apps essentially shut themselves off. All of my apps except messaging and phone calls turn off at 10pm, to help me quit scrolling through Instagram and go to sleep instead. If you have an iPhone, I highly encourage you to check it out.
Overall, screen time is a complicated subject, and one on which we don't have a lot of longitudinal research. Having an open dialogue and setting limits seem like a good start in getting a handle on things! Learn more about Apple's Screen Time here. For non-iPhone users, Android has the ability to manage screen time as well, and there are many apps out there that you can install to monitor screen time.
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AuthorChristin Barkemeyer Archives
April 2020
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