By Michaela Gordoni
Social media increases anxiety and depression, especially among young people — but here’s how you can stop it.
Gloria DeGaetano, founder and CEO of the Parent Coaching Institute, said, “Whether old-fashioned TV programs, computers, tablets or smart phones, the research is clear: too much time with a flat 2-D surface disrupts healthy cognitive, emotional and social development.”
She added, “Children and teens need age-appropriate time in the natural world, not eight hours a day with a machine.”
Parents can start to reverse screen harm by creating more personal connections at home. Device-free dinners and sharing stories can help create healthy parent-child bonds, Psychology Today reported.
Related: How Social Media Harms College Students’ Mental Health
In a recent study that DeGaetano instigated, she found that “the more the parents interacted and focused on authentic connection, the more the teens felt understood about their tech use, and importantly, the more likely they were to cooperate with any guidelines the parents set.”
Parents can also cultivate their children’s inner lives and encourage free play. When children have too much screen time, it distracts them from inner thought processes. Reading or listening to audiobooks can reinforce imagination, as can drawing and active play. Play helps children develop cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically.
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt believes that only children above 16 should use the internet because it negatively impacts healthy brain growth and social behaviors.
Parents can also advocate for phone-free schools. Less screentime possibly impacts mental health and learning, and lessens the likeliness of cyberbullying.
In 2020, researchers found that the presence of smartphones in learning situations affects learning recall and memory.
Mountain Middle School in Durango, Colorado, had record levels of cyberbullying and teen suicide rates. But once the school banned phones, students began to have better focus in class and talk to each other and their teachers. After a few years, it became one of the highest performing schools in the state.
Sterling Seemans, the principal of Springer Middle School in Wilmington, Delaware, said his school has had significant improvements since it became phone-free.
There were a lot of “distractible behaviors that were going on due to cellphones that we now don’t have to waste our time investigating,” Seemans said. “Student conflict is down, and I know that teachers are thankful and often report positive improvements in classroom engagement and classroom environment.”
If you want your children to be screen-safe, start at home. Create a screen-free environment that encourages socializing, play and creativity.
Read Next: How Social Media Increases Teen Bullying and Harms Mental Health
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