An Insidious Problem: Can it be stopped?

Online connectivity is literally in our blood.

Average American children spend between 4-7 hours using media per day. Scary!

Children often do not know any better.

Children cannot develop when they are online!

Online interaction is much different than in person.

Missing out on real-life experiences.

Sure, screens and technology help many across the globe. Without them, our society would absolutely be worse off.

But when used in excess, medically significant problems can arise. Lasting psychological damage can occur.

Unfortunately, modern society is not fully aware of the very real impact of screens.

“Excessive screen time can cause…gray matter atrophy, impaired dopamine function, change in emotional processing, decrease in frontal and temporal lobe activity.” Zhou/Dunckley, Psych today

These are SUBTLE PROBLEMS, hard to spot!

Electronic Screen Syndrome: Hyperactive tendencies, sleep difficulty… most common in CHILDREN

. The Millennium Cohort Study, “a long-term study group in Britain that has been following 19,000 children born in 2000 and 2001, found that those who watched more than three hours of television, videos or DVDs a day had a higher chance of conduct problems, emotional symptoms and relationship problems by the time they were 7 than children who did not.”

Substitution! Instead of interacting with people, whether they are peers or parents, kids are watching screens!

Screen learning, and cyber-lifestyles do not help children learn.

Social media and Pop-culture television broadcasts dangerous messages and promotes unrealistic ways of living.

Children are the most succeptible

: “A 2007 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics documents that play promotes not only behavioral development but brain growth as well. The University of North Carolina’s Abecedarian Early Child Intervention program found that children who received an enriched, play-oriented parenting and early childhood program had significantly higher IQ’s at age five than did a comparable group of children who were not in the program (105 vs. 85 points).

Screens are taking place of play! They are the worst substitute, as they are proven to harm young minds and promote a sedentary way of life.

Children cannot realize that screens harm them on their own.

It’s our responsibility as adults to help them understand.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that children develop social skills through person to person interaction.

Screens are causing children to forgo certain activities.

Where play advances children intellectually and emotionally, screen time not only drains them – it harms them.

Baroness Greenfield, a leading neuroscientist and tenured Professor theorizes that “Creativity, imagination, self-esteem and even our basic ability to process information could be sacrificed at the virtual altar of what is known as "hyperconnectivity.”

Cyber-life not a proper substitute for real experiences

Watching, rather than experiencing.

I’d rather have my sibling or child experience a life-lesson hands on than watch it on TV.

…when they are watching TV?

…when they ‘Google’ answers to homework problems?

…when they use social media as their main method of communication?

…when they use a screen instead of reading a book?

Simply need to promote responsibility

To impose limits on screen time for younger children

In short, we need to PAY ATTENTION to the youth’s habits!

This is an easy fix!

Society has to teach responsibility and moderation. These are timeless virtues.

We can help children and our country advance without much effort.