how does homework help reduce screen time

Reducing Screen Time when School is Online: Tips for Making Screen Time Count

Feb. 1, 2021

As parents and teachers, most of us probably remember the news reports covering the shocking 2016 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that laid bare both the benefits and risks of screen time in children. In it, the AAP noted that kids who are on screens for multiple hours each day face the risks of becoming overweight, may experience trouble sleeping, and are in danger of dealing with cyberbullying and adverse behavioral issues as they grow older and are more exposed to social media.

Considering the stark risks that come with spending a lot of time online, it should be no surprise that screen time is one of the chief concerns both parents and teachers have this year considering the unexpected and abrupt shift to virtual school due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With classes mostly taking place online for a huge chunk of the nation’s children, the amount of time students spend in front of screens have skyrocketed.

Still, as the pandemic keeps its hold over the country, online learning is the reality for the immediate future, at least to some degree, as students are returning back to the classroom in a hybrid format, if at all. All this considered, what can educators as well as parents do to mitigate the risks involved with heavy amounts of screen time?

First, let’s take a deeper look at why it’s important to manage screen time, or at least make sure that kids are getting the most out of it. Then, keep reading to discover some of the best tips for both teachers and parents to reduce the amount of time spent online or engaged with electronics.

Why We Should Reduce Screen Time

As mentioned earlier, the main concern for kids and screen time tends to revolve around the inactivity that comes along with spending many hours stationary looking at a screen. According to the AAP, children are at a higher risk of obesity and related medical conditions, such as diabetes, if they spend more than an hour and a half watching TV or otherwise watching a screen. In addition, as kids grow, the same study mentioned above discusses that:

• Exposure to blue light shortly before or during bedtime can potentially cause sleep disturbances
• Children could go on to develop a disorder that is much like an addiction to gaming or technology Students become distracted while completing homework
• Kids may face negative academic consequences
• Screen time should be limited to two hours for young kids

While much of the risk affects older students as they approach adolescence, unhealthy habits are formed from an early age. Unfortunately, with the rise of virtual learning, parents are unable to follow the guideline that suggests that screen time be limited. That said, what can adults do to reduce screen time even during this unprecedented time? Let’s examine the strategies teachers can use, while reviewing more realistic guidelines that parents can follow.

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How to Manage Screen Time During Online Learning: Teacher’s Edition

• Plan for hands-on activities that kids can easily complete at home and showcase online

Many districts have turned towards mandating a certain number of minutes or hours per day that classes must be administered synchronously via a teleconferencing app. Even so, just because students are logged in doesn’t mean the entire time should be spent listening to a teacher lecture or present information. Instead, reduce screen time by planning hands-on activities that kids can complete at home while being monitored on the call.

For instance, a science lesson may include a simple lab that can easily be done at home with materials that are readily available in most homes. Teachers can even provide a menu of options so that every student has the opportunity to choose the activity that suits them best. Allow class time for the completion of those activities and allow children to present their products to their classmates during the synchronous class.

• Use screens creatively; assign students work that can be done by hand but submitted virtually

Homework reduces screen time only when that work is done by hand on paper. Today, it is a necessity to require students of all ages to submit work online, but that doesn’t mean students can’t complete worksheets or write by hand. Instead, instruct students how to take pictures of their work to submit to the learning management system. If children are busy writing a story, or completing an art picture, let students submit pictures of their work to a media gallery after they are finished. This reduces screen time as children are spending class time away from the screen and working with pencils and paper, just as they would in an ordinary class.

• Take frequent breaks during extended synchronous sessions, especially for younger learners

Even while in the classroom, children need frequent brain breaks to keep them focused and recharged. This is even more important in the online classroom and it helps to reduce the amount of time that students are looking at a screen. For a long synchronous session, and in between subject lessons, plan in extra brain breaks that help kid kids up, stretching, and moving around. Surprise them with a quick scavenger hunt around the house to find supplies or a special item to share with the class.

• Divide online class time into chunks

While it might seem awkward for teachers to tolerate chunks of online time that are virtually silent while students work to complete an assignment, it is necessary to help break up the time, just like in a regular face-to-face class. Ordinarily, educators begin a lesson with some form of warm-up, introduction activity, or mini lesson that gets students going, followed by collaboration, independent work time, and demonstration of mastery.

In an online class, the same class structure should be used as much as possible; don’t be afraid to allow students chunks of time to work in small groups via breakout rooms, or independently. This also helps to reduce the screen time as kids are given in-class time to complete assignments away from the laptop.

• Inquire with your school about curbside pickup options for school materials, manipulatives

Another way to lessen the sheer amount of time spent on a screen is to provide children with the very same supplies they would ordinarily access while in the classroom. Most elementary teachers have centers set up in their classroom that contains manipulatives such as base blocks, play money, counters, puzzles, and more! If possible, inquire about setting up a time for parents to pick up packets of manipulatives that can be borrowed and returned at the end of the school year. While this might not be possible in all schools or classrooms, if it can be done, students can further reduce their screen time by practicing the skills being taught using hands-on strategies.

Managing Screen Time: A Parent’s Guide

As a parent, it might feel as if your hands are tied when it comes to reducing screen time, especially when classes are all online. Try the following tips to help balance it all out:

• Plan daily trips outdoors

There’s no better way to balance the time spent on technology than with a refreshing walk outdoors! Even if the weather is a little cold, don’t let it stop your kids from getting some fresh air each day. Plan time spent outdoors into your everyday routine. This could be a small space of time after the school day, or even during lunch. The key is to make it consistent and to leave the electronics at home!

• Take a no-stress approach

Nothing is normal in 2020. Sometimes the best strategy is to see the AAP recommendations for what they are: guidelines that were issued long before any pandemic existed. This year is far out of the ordinary, and perhaps our expectations for what we can reasonably do and control should follow suit. Try not to stress too much about screen time, as we are grappling with an unprecedented situation that is temporary.

• Rethink afterschool screen time. Selectively plan apps your child uses after school is over and take full advantage of parental controls

After the school day, what do your children do to relax? If your kids are like most, they are likely playing learning games or watching TV. Rethink your child’s afterschool routine. What could they do instead? Help students relax and rewind by finding activities that don’t involve technology. Take control of their devices by utilizing parental controls to limit screen time when it’s not needed.

• Eliminate passive screen time as much as possible

Some online content is more valuable than others, and this is especially true when it comes to the apps kids use. Passive screen time involves very little interaction and is the worst utilization of technology for kids of all ages. Passive means that children are not interacting with or learning anything from the content; learning videos on YouTube Kids is a good example of passive content. Eliminate passive screen time in favor of more valuable activities such as reading worksheets or learning games.

In 2020, teachers and parents are faced with an impossible task: managing their kids’ learning when all the classes are online. Follow the advice above to help cut down on screen time, and don’t forget to cut yourself some slack during these strange times!

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Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management

Sudheer kumar muppalla, sravya vuppalapati, apeksha reddy pulliahgaru, himabindu sreenivasulu.

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Sudheer Kumar Muppalla [email protected]

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Accepted 2023 Jun 18; Collection date 2023 Jun.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Children's heavy reliance on screen media has raised serious public health issues since it might harm their cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional growth. This study examines the effects of screen time on many developmental domains and covers management and limitation techniques for kids' screen usage. Screen media has a wide range of cognitive consequences, with both beneficial and detrimental effects noted. Screens can improve education and learning; however, too much time spent in front of a screen and multitasking with other media has been related to worse executive functioning and academic performance. As screen time reduces the amount and quality of interactions between children and their caregivers, it can also have an impact on language development. Contextual elements like co-viewing and topic appropriateness are key in determining how language development is impacted. Additionally, excessive screen usage has detrimental effects on social and emotional growth, including a rise in the likelihood of obesity, sleep disorders, and mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. It can obstruct the ability to interpret emotions, fuel aggressive conduct, and harm one's psychological health in general. Setting boundaries, utilizing parental controls, and demonstrating good screen behavior are all techniques that parents may use to manage children's screen usage. We can reduce the possible negative impacts of excessive screen time and promote children's healthy development and well-being by increasing knowledge and encouraging alternative activities that stimulate development.

Keywords: campaign, developmental and behavioral delay, digital learning, parenting style, screen exposure time, screen time, language development, cognitive development

Introduction and background

New technologies, such as mobile and interactive screen media, are now ingrained in a young child's daily life. Children today are "digital natives," having been born into an ever-changing digital ecosystem augmented by mobile media. The age at which kids engage with media on a regular basis has fallen from four years in 1970 to four months in the present day [ 1 ]. Electronic devices have revolutionized learning, communication, and information dissemination, but recent research indicates that screen media use may have serious adverse effects on children's health over the long term, making this a pressing public health concern [ 2 ]. It has raised the likelihood that children will become obese, experience behavioral problems, sleep irregularities, poor academic performance, etc. [ 1 - 3 ].

This article delves into the profound effects of excessive screen time on children's cognitive, language, and social-emotional development, while also exploring the crucial strategies and responsibilities that parents and schools can undertake to effectively manage and diminish screen time in young individuals.

Impact on development

Cognitive Development

Screen media use may have both beneficial and detrimental effects on a kid’s cognitive results. Media devices with screens have the potential to improve education and learning [ 2 ]. For instance, research has suggested that electronic books and learning-to-read applications may improve young children's early reading skills and creative thinking capacities [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]. However, studies have also demonstrated the negative effects of screen media use on a number of cognitive areas such as executive functioning, sensorimotor development, and academic outcomes [ 2 , 6 ]. Media multitasking was found to have a negative impact on executive functioning in teenagers, notably on working memory, inhibition, and the capacity to switch between tasks [ 2 , 7 ].

The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development cohort study found a long-lasting connection between early screen media exposure and cognitive abilities, with each one-hour increase in TV exposure at two years of age corresponding to a 7% unit decrease in participation in class and a 6% unit decrease in math proficiency in the fourth grade [ 8 ]. A Spanish research study discovered a negative correlation between the use of screen media and academic achievement, indicating that increased screen time was associated with lower academic performance. Similarly, a study conducted in the United States found a significant link between higher levels of media multitasking and lower scores on standardized tests measuring academic performance in mathematics and English [ 9 ].

However, adverse executive and academic outcomes may be confounded by the poorer attention and focus from multitasking behaviors rather than solely from screen media overuse, and more research is necessary to tease out this relationship. Language development has received the majority of emphasis in studies on screen usage and cognitive development in young children, whereas other cognitive development domains including executive skills have received less attention [ 10 ]. Thus, there are significant, albeit indirect, effects of screen media use on cognitive development in children [ 2 ].

Language Development​​

The early years of childhood are crucial for acquiring language skills and children develop various aspects of language, including vocabulary and phonology [ 11 ]. These skills are acquired through interactions with adults [ 11 ]. Numerous studies have highlighted the significance of human interaction, particularly the frequency and quality of exchanges between adults and children, in the development of language skills [ 12 ]. However, there is a growing concern that screen time diminishes the quantity and quality of interactions between children and their parents, resulting in fewer chances for the child to practice and develop their language abilities [ 11 ]. The relationship between screen time and speech and language development is complex, and there are multiple factors that should be taken into account [ 13 ]. The impact of screen viewing is predominantly influenced by contextual factors rather than the sheer amount of time spent watching [ 14 ]. The context encompasses several aspects, such as the behavior exhibited by adult caregivers during screen time, the appropriateness of the content for the child's age, and the level of interactivity provided by the screen [ 14 ]. Increasing the amount of screen time at an early age has negative effects on language development [ 13 ]. However, beginning screen time at a later age has some potential benefits [ 13 ]. The characteristics of videos, their content, and co-viewing also play a role in influencing language development [ 13 ]. However, other studies have reported negative effects on speech, language, motor skills, cognitive development, and social development [ 13 ].

Adults should be aware of the impact of background television when children are present [ 13 ]. Studies have shown that increased exposure to background television can have adverse effects on children's language usage, executive functioning, and cognition in children under the age of five [ 13 ]. Excessive television viewing can also potentially affect language development and reading abilities at a young age [ 13 ].

A few studies show a positive correlation between children's screen time when co-viewed with a parent and their expressive lexical, phonological, and overall language abilities [ 11 ]. Studies have indicated that compared to children who view screens for ≤1 hour per day, those who engage in two or more hours per day, or three or more hours per day, are more likely to experience behavioral problems and have poorer vocabulary acquisition [ 15 ]. These findings suggest the importance of monitoring and regulating screen time for young children to mitigate potential adverse effects on their development and behavior [ 15 ].

While it is true that screens have become ubiquitous in homes and are increasingly integrated into school systems, it is crucial to educate caregivers of children under the age of three years about the potential risks associated with prolonged screen exposure in inappropriate contexts [ 14 ]. The current findings suggest that future research should investigate the screen time patterns of the entire family and explore the cumulative impact of both children's and parents' total screen time on language skills, specifically focusing on lexical skills [ 11 ]. In addition to providing guidance, it is crucial to offer families alternative options to media use that promote positive development, such as parent-child play activities [ 16 ]. These alternatives should be made available in pediatric practices and early childhood centers to support families in creating enriching and interactive experiences with their children [ 16 ].

Social-Emotional Development

In recent years, the concept of screen time has become more complex, with a wide range of electronic devices available worldwide [ 17 ]. The advancement of technology in recent years has led to increased screen-based technology usage among young people, coinciding with a decrease in their engagement with nature and impacting their mental health and overall well-being [ 18 ]. Research has shown negative associations between screen time, particularly television viewing, and the development of physical and cognitive abilities. Additionally, screen time has been linked to obesity, sleep problems, depression, and anxiety [ 17 ]. The specific physiological mechanisms underlying the adverse health outcomes related to screen time, as well as the relative contributions of different types of screens and media content to these outcomes, are still not fully understood [ 17 ]. However, studies in very young children indicate that screen usage is an independent risk factor for reduced psychological well-being. One study shows that increased TV exposure between six and 18 months of age was associated with emotional reactivity, aggression, and externalizing behaviors [ 17 ]. Few studies indicate that higher screen time at the age of four years is associated with lower levels of emotional understanding at the age of six years. It also reveals that having a television in a child's bedroom at the age of six years predicts lower levels of emotional understanding at eight years [ 19 ]. Gaming was associated with lower levels of emotional understanding in boys but not in girls. This suggests that different types of screen activities may have distinct effects on the emotional development of children based on their gender [ 19 ].

Computer use and video gaming, but not television viewing, were shown to be connected with more severe depressive symptoms when looking at the effects of various types of screens. Video gaming, in particular, is correlated with the severity of anxiety [ 17 ]. These findings align with other studies showing a cumulative impact of high screen time on symptoms, with more pronounced effects emerging during early adolescence and beyond [ 17 ]. Screen time-induced poor sleep, nighttime use of digital devices, and dependency on mobile phones have been associated with depressive symptoms [ 20 ]. Sleep issues, excessive screen time, and exposure to content that is violent and fast-paced trigger dopamine and reward pathways in the brain, all of which have been associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behavior [ 20 ]. Early and persistent exposure to violent content raises the chance of engaging in antisocial behavior [ 20 ]. Psychoneurological effects of addictive screen time use include a decrease in social coping skills and the development of craving behaviors resembling substance dependence [ 20 ]. Structural changes in the brain related to cognitive control and emotional regulation have been observed in individuals with addictive digital media behavior [ 20 ].

It is worth noting that screens can also have positive educational and informational benefits [ 17 ]. For example, many schools are effectively using blogs as educational tools to improve written English, and the Internet provides access to health resources, including information on sexually transmitted infections and mental health [ 17 ]. Starting around the age of two years, high-quality television programs that are designed for specific educational purposes can serve as an additional means for early language and literacy development in children [ 21 ]. Such programs can also support cognitive development, promote positive racial attitudes, and encourage imaginative play [ 21 ]. High-quality content can enhance social and language skills for all children aged two years and older, particularly for those who are living in poverty or facing other disadvantages [ 21 ]. The presence of smartphones blurs the boundaries between work and home life, making timing unpredictable, and frequently requiring emotional investment to respond to them [ 21 ]. These findings emphasize the potential negative consequences of excessive screen exposure during early childhood, particularly when screens are present in a child's personal space, such as their bedroom [ 19 ]. This study emphasizes the significance of face-to-face interaction, especially with primary caregivers, in promoting the development of social-emotional competence in young children [ 19 ]. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the connection between screen time and developmental vulnerabilities [ 22 ].

Strategies for managing and reducing screen time in children

Strong evidence shows that parents' awareness-raising and other straightforward actions may significantly lower children's screen time [ 23 ]. Early excessive screen-watching habits seem to follow throughout time and tend to cluster with other harmful lifestyle behaviors including a poor diet and lack of sleep [ 24 ]. The amount of time spent watching television and other forms of screen time among teens decreased only when the intervention included specific elements or activities aimed at reducing it [ 25 ]. Possible additions to interventions include the use of an electronic monitoring device to restrict screen time (which allows users to set time limits for TV, digital versatile disc (DVD), computer, or video game use), the TV Turn-off Challenge (a campaign to turn off the TV for a specified number of days), the conditional use of screens on physical activity, or education via mass or small media (such as newsletters, brochures, or billboards) [ 26 ]. Birth kits distributed to moms by maternity wards should contain information regarding newborns and toddlers seeing screens [ 23 ]. Health visitors should provide new parents with advice and be aware of medical evidence [ 23 ]. Schools should take a stand on how much time kids spend using screens both inside and outside of the classroom and let students and parents know about it [ 23 ].

Role of Parents in Managing Screen Time

Parents sometimes used screen time as a reward but also believed digital technology would have a negative impact on their child’s behavior, social skills, sleep, and physical activity [ 27 ]. Parents have the chance to implement behavioral control in the home as the primary caretakers, frequently through observation and rule-setting [ 27 ]. In fact, treatments designed to enhance common parenting techniques at home have proved effective in raising a child's desirable behavior [ 27 ]. In line with this viewpoint, some research indicates that parents' usage of restrictions regarding the use of technology such as television, cellphones, tablets, and computers is linked to children spending less time on screens (such as television, video games, and computer/internet use) [ 28 ]. Parental controls, which are frequently present in the form of extra settings and password safeguards for different technical devices (such as televisions, laptops, cellphones, etc.), may offer a viable answer to parenting challenges around children's screen time [ 27 ].

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other organizations/studies have indicated that parental restrictions on screen time and the absence of screens in bedrooms both significantly lower screen time [ 29 , 30 ]. Ideal discretionary screen time limits are 0.5-1 hour/day for three to seven-year-olds, one hour for 7-12-year-olds, 1.5 hours for 12-15-year-olds, and two hours for 16+-year-olds. Role modeling is also another crucial element. The amount of screen time parents and kids watch is closely associated; kids who live in homes where watching TV is encouraged (e.g., meals eaten in front of the TV and the TV is on when the child gets home from school) are more likely to engage in binge-watching themselves. If parents watch television for more than four hours every day, their sons and daughters will, respectively, have a 10.5-fold and a three-fold increased likelihood of doing the same [ 31 ].

Conclusions

Excessive screen media usage in children can have both positive and negative impacts on their development. Regarding cognitive development, screens have the potential to enhance education and learning. However, studies have shown that excessive screen time and media multitasking can negatively affect executive functioning, sensorimotor development, and academic outcomes. Early screen exposure has been associated with lower cognitive abilities and academic performance in later years. Language development is also affected by screen time, as it diminishes the quantity and quality of interactions between children and caregivers. Contextual factors such as co-viewing and appropriateness of content play a role in determining the impact on language development. Excessive screen usage can also lead to problems in social-emotional development, including obesity, sleep disturbances, depression, and anxiety. It can impair emotional comprehension, promote aggressive behavior, and hinder social and emotional competence.

Parents play a crucial role in managing and reducing screen time by raising awareness, setting boundaries, and providing behavioral controls. Parental limitations and the absence of screens in bedrooms have been found to significantly reduce screen usage. Parents should also set an example by managing their own screen time. Overall, it is important for caregivers, educators, and healthcare professionals to understand the potential risks of excessive screen usage and implement strategies to promote healthy development in children, including alternative activities that foster cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional skills.

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Here’s What the Research Says About Screen Time and School-Aged Kids

Kecia Ray is a globally recognized leader in education and a transformation coach. She leads K20Connect, an educational consulting network.

If you are like most Americans, a typical evening with your family means that everyone is tethered to a digital device of some sort. Some might be watching Netflix. Others might be strategizing in an online game, and still others may be using a school-issued device to do homework or research.

This is not uncommon. Screen time is on the rise worldwide, according to a recent study published in  JAMA Pediatrics , which reviewed the screen habits of about 30,000 children aged 3 to 18 between Jan. 1, 2020, and March 5, 2022. The study revealed that since the pandemic,  screen time among children has gone up 52 percent  globally.

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Educational Screen Time Offers the Most Benefits

I’ve spent many years in the education field as a senior district administrator, professor, researcher and adviser, and I’ve reviewed screen time research from those in the fields of sociology, medicine and education. Although each field of study looks at different aspects of the issue, all have determined that excessive screen time can be damaging, especially to young viewers.

Researchers in Australia studying 4,013 children identified  several categories of screen time  — social, educational, passive, interactive and other — in a 2019 paper. According to the study, the type of screen time determines whether it has a positive or negative impact.

LEARN MORE:  Find out how to leverage ed tech for inquiry-based learning.

Researchers found that  educational screen time provides the most benefit , showing positive effects on children’s persistence and educational outcomes while also having no significant impact on health. Interactive screen time, which includes time spent  playing video games , showed positive educational outcomes but was associated with poorer health.

Passive screen time — perhaps one of the more favored for anyone who likes to watch hours of streamed TV shows — is the least healthy form of screen time.

Excessive Screen Time Might Limit School Success

A longitudinal  study published in 2020  looked at cognitive and emotional functioning in children over time, between age 4 and 8, measured against their daily screen time. The study found excessive screen time led to emotional dysregulation and negatively affected mathematics and literacy in school-age students.

In 2021, Denise Scairpon published a  dissertation on screen time  among 4- and 5-year-old children and its effect on their social and emotional development as well as their sleep. The most significant finding: Excessive use of digital devices may cause children to suffer from irreversible damage to their developing brains and limit their ability for school success.

RELATED:  Support students’ social-emotional needs with self-regulation spaces.

Help Students Use Screens Responsibly

Too much of anything can be harmful, and screen time is no exception. Each of the studies shared here indicates the need for responsible screen use among children.

While educational screen time has the most positive impact of all types of screen time studied, educators must balance the benefits with the drawbacks.

Educators and parents can work together to promote responsible use of technology. Schools that promote  digital literacy for K–12 students  can introduce them early to responsible technology use. Adults also can model responsible screen time recommendations.

Both the  American Academy of Pediatrics  and the  World Health Organization  recommend screen time limits by age.

Both organizations recommend that children age 6 through 10 use no more than 1.5 hours of total screen time each day. The organizations also note that the maximum recommended screen time for everyone, independent of age, is two hours.

As parents and teachers, we must also refrain from too much screen time and explore other opportunities for engagement and learning beyond our screens. Balance and mindfulness are words we often hear in the context of self-care, but they are relevant when considering the amount of time we allow children to spend in front of screens.

DIG DEEPER:  Combining movement and technology enhances learning.

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Stanford University School of Medicine blog

Screen time: The good, the healthy and the mind-numbing

Thomas Robinson , MD, professor of pediatrics and of medicine, has been studying the effect of watching mobile and video screens since the early 1990s. But before your thoughts go to Tamagachis and Gameboys, Robinson took an interest in screens for their potential to support (and undermine) one's health.

"Even back then, well before smartphones, children were already spending more time watching screens than they were spending in school or doing any other single activity," Robinson said. "Adults were watching even more."

Robinson suspected that even if the daily effects on health and well-being are relatively small, over the course of months and years, those hours accumulate to something that has a major impact on health and development. As a pediatrician, Robinson believes it's crucial to understand the effects of such a major activity in the lives of children and families.

In the following Q&A, Robinson discusses the controversies over screen time and usage, how screens affect health, and his approach to studying such a complicated topic, among other matters.

Your research prioritizes approaches that yield solutions, something you've dubbed the "solution-oriented research paradigm." What does that mean? Can you give an example?

A lot of research is focused on discovering causes, risk factors and correlates of diseases, but it does not directly tell us how to prevent or treat them -- that is, solutions. Changing how one frames research questions and designs studies can get to solutions more directly. For example, in our early screen media research, it was hypothesized that screen time caused obesity, aggression and other problems.

Many epidemiological studies, including our own, found relatively weak associations between screen time and these outcomes but they were limited by the difficulty of measuring screen time accurately. The media industry, arguing that the studies did not show cause and effect, blocked practice and policy initiatives. But even if one could prove, with experimental studies, that screen viewing caused health problems, the findings still wouldn't tell us what to do about it.

Instead, we designed behavioral interventions to help reduce children's screen time, and we tested the approaches in a series of randomized controlled trials to observe the effects. We showed that children who receive our interventions to reduce screen time -- which helped the children stay under weekly screen time budgets -- gained less weight, were less aggressive to their peers and asked their parents to buy them fewer advertised products, compared with kids who did not receive the intervention.

We didn't have to first prove the ill effects of screen viewing -- we were able to prove the benefits of an intervention to reduce screen time, directly discovering a solution that could be applied.

There's quite a bit of controversy about how screens affect kids - what do we know and what are the big unknowns still to decipher?

It seems obvious that screens, particularly smartphones, are affecting kids -- and adults. The list of suspected effects is long: It is not unusual to hear digital media blamed for everything from mental and physical health problems to impaired brain development and social skills to the downfall of democracy, but it's also credited with improving lives by helping kids stay safe and in touch with distant family members. Many of these impacts are backed up with plausible mechanisms and observations.

Unfortunately, after literally thousands of studies, we have very few clear answers. Some of this stems from problems of measuring screen use and of differences among children and how they use screens. Those are problems we are trying to help solve with our Human Screenome Project. But what we know from studies of screens before smartphones, such as television and video games, still holds. Kids learn behaviors -- such as aggression and gender and racial stereotypes -- from what they see portrayed in media. The time spent on screens can displace time spent doing other activities, such as time with family, playing outside and schoolwork. And while we're waiting for research to catch up, we can base our parenting, school and public policies on what we know from research on earlier media, along with the impacts that seem obvious to us.

Tell me about the Human Screenome Project, and what you aim to do with it.

With my colleagues Byron Reeves, professor of communication, and Nilam Ram, professor of communication and of psychology, and many other collaborators across campus, we are trying to address some of the limitations of past media research by measuring exactly what people are seeing and doing on their screens.

Consented volunteer participants use an app on their devices that unobtrusively records a screenshot every few seconds, encrypts the image and accompanying data and securely sends it to our research servers. Machine learning and analytics software identify what's on each screen -- all the words, images and other screen characteristics. We called it the screenome , like the genome, because it creates a record of individuals' unique experiences on their screens. It feels like what it must have felt like to invent the electron microscope or MRI, to be able to observe a part of life that has been, up until now, invisible.

To date, we have collected screenomes and accompanying surveys for up to one year from several hundred adults and adolescents and their parents. It immediately became apparent that no two people share similar screenomes and that no person's two days or two hours in a day are the same. Our goals for this project are to obtain the first detailed understanding of how people are using their screen devices and what they are seeing; to test relationships between the many hypothesized health, psychological and social effects of screen media and specific screen exposures and behaviors, such as social media, misinformation or jumping from screen to screen; and to design and test precision interventions based on specific moment-to-moment screen experiences.

What advice do you have to help parents manage their child's screen use, especially mobile phones?

For infants and young children, I recommend avoiding screens altogether. Young children benefit from more face-to-face time with their parents and other family members. That means it is also important for parents to limit their own screen use when they are with their children. I also recommend delaying children's use of screens as they grow.

We recently published a study that followed kids from as young as 7 to as old as 15 as they received their first phone. We found, on average, getting a phone at a younger age was no better or worse than getting it at an older age, in terms of depressive symptoms, sleep and school grades. Although some children experienced negative changes after getting a phone, the age of receiving a phone did not appear to be a key factor in determining these outcomes. It is possible that parents are matching their decisions about when to give their child a phone with their child's readiness and their child's and family's needs.

I recommend parents wait to give their child a phone until they are mature enough to regulate their own use and not allow it to distract them from sleep, homework, family time, and playing and socializing with other kids in the real world. Parents must also be aware that once their child has a phone they may be exposed to cyber bullying, body shaming, discrimination and racism, violence, pornography, predatory advertising and other content they may not want their child to experience.

I also suggest families have rules about screen use, such as limiting kids' time on screens, limiting the shows they are allowed to watch and apps they are allowed to use, creating phone-free activities (like spending time with family, eating meals, doing homework and sleeping) and creating phone-free spaces, like bedrooms. There are parental controls and apps to help parents enact some of these limits. And, I tell parents it's OK to take away a child's phone if they do not demonstrate sufficient responsibility to follow the rules.

Lastly, instead of simple screen ownership and screen time, we believe the key is how children and adults use their phones - what they see and do on their phones. We are studying this now in our Human Screenome Project .

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Tips and Scripts for Managing Screen Time When School Is Online

For years we've been stressing about kids' screen time, and then -- poof! -- the pandemic hits, and screens are a lifeline to their friends and extended family. For many, it's also how they'll be learning for the foreseeable future. So even though we might not cherish the idea of our kids sitting in front of a computer for hours on end for school and play, we may need to adjust the way we think -- and talk -- about screens if we want our kids to thrive during this time.

Here's a trick: Call their activities what they are. When you have a common vocabulary for their daily activities, such as "playtime," "work time," "friend time," "family time," and "downtime," you can communicate a lot more clearly -- and honestly -- about what your kid is doing, what they should be doing, and what they want to be doing. This reframes the "screen time" conversation into which elements make up a healthy life -- one that balances learning with play, exercise with relaxation, and responsibilities with social time. Here are some ideas for getting on the right track for the school year -- whatever it looks like.

To keep them accountable

Create a digital learning agreement. Sort of like a cellphone contract or media agreement, a digital learning agreement is a document you create with your kid to establish school-year guidelines you both agree to, with consequences for noncompliance. Ask your kid to consider what they have to do (hit their daily reading targets, i.e., "work time") and what they want to do ( meet friends on Fortnite , i.e., "friend time"). Record these goals on your digital learning agreement so your kid knows how much time to allot for each thing. Say: "If you need two hours for homework, what time do you need to start in order to meet your friends by 7:30 p.m.?"

To support your rules

Discuss parental controls. Let's be honest: Kids will need your help to ensure Fortnite playtime doesn't bleed into school time. You can't monitor everything at once -- especially when kids are spending so much time online -- so you may need the extra eyes, support, and peace of mind parental controls offer. Using your common vocabulary for their various screen activities, explain why you're using parental controls -- and what your kid can do to demonstrate that they no longer need them. Say: "I use parental controls to keep you focused during schoolwork, make sure you get enough sleep during downtime, and don't get sucked into an app or a game you have a hard time stopping during playtime. When you've shown me you can manage those things without the parental controls, I'll take them off."

Set up device-free times and zones. If you're not careful, devices can spill over into all aspects of your family's life, especially if you're basically doing everything online. Lean into downtime by making some spots in your home off-limits to tech . This gives everyone a needed break -- and a moment to think more deeply about what devices are good for and what they're not so good for. Your kids may appreciate the structure, and you can spin tech-free time as a family value. Say: "Technology allows us to do so much, but downtime is important for our family to connect without devices and be able to enjoy a dedicated place where you don't have to be 'on'."

To care for their emotional well-being

Plan for check-ins and device spot checks. Last year, you may have worried about your kid socializing online. This year, it's a relief they can use Zoom , Messenger , and even games to socialize with friends they can't see in person . But relationships -- especially in the tender tween years -- can be tough to navigate when they're happening solely through text and video chat. Check in on their social lives, learn what tools they're using, and discuss the environments in which they're interacting. Help them think through any trouble spots and what they might do -- say, mute a problematic friend for a while -- to avoid drama. By showing interest, you give them openings to share any challenges. Say: "What's happening with your friends? Has there been any drama? I'm happy to help you think through how to handle any issues."

To stay healthy

Get some physical activity -- away from screens. It doesn't have to be every day, but make sure you're achieving a balance of online and offline activities throughout the week. You can incorporate physical activity into your family time or let your kid be in charge of their own exercise. Try Simon says, friendly races, silly walks, or calisthenics. Say : "What's your favorite physical activity? Teach me the latest dance moves. Race me to the end of the block. Can you hop on one foot twenty times? For every correct answer in your math packet, do ten push-ups."

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10 Ways to Protect the Brain from Daily Screen Time

These 10 evidence-based strategies can prevent overstimulation from screen time..

Posted April 1, 2017 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

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I’ve written elsewhere how screen-time stresses and detunes the body clock, brain chemistry, and reward pathways, as well as how tech addiction can actually damage the brain’s frontal lobe. I’ve also shared how an electronic fast can reset and resynchronize the nervous system , improving a child’s mood, sleep, focus and behavior in a matter of weeks.

In contrast, this post offers evidence-based practices to buffer against some of the changes seen with overstimulation from screen time . These methods either counteract screen time’s effects directly (such as by helping to synchronize, strengthen, or protect the body clock) or indirectly (for example, by facilitating deeper sleep or discharging pent up energy). While this information was originally written with children in mind, these principles apply to adults, too.

Here are 10 strategies to counteract the effects of daily screen time:

Similarly, studies show exposure to sunlight can reduce attention deficit symptoms, while abundant bright light first thing in the morning can help restore disrupted circadian rhythms , improve mood, and enhance restorative sleep.

• Incorporate more movement, exercise and free play. While stress and screen-time break down brain connectivity, exercise does the reverse—it builds connections and actually makes the brain bigger. Exercise fights depression , poor focus, insomnia , addiction , and anxiety by raising and balancing the very brain chemicals and hormones that become imbalanced from using electronics. In addition, varied and regular movement throughout the day helps develop core muscle strength, stimulates the vestibular system, and discharges pent-up energy—all things that foster learning and mood regulation. And free play is not just for fun—it encourages brain integration, mastering of new skills, grasping others’ mental states, cause-and-effect thinking, and managing conflict.

You can facilitate more restorative sleep and boost melatonin (the “sleep hormone”) by establishing a consistent sleep-wake routine (including on the weekends), keeping all screens out of the bedroom, using a sleep mask and blackout curtains to make the sleep environment as close to pitch-black as possible, avoiding heavy meals close to bedtime, and keeping the temperature of the room cool. Research suggests that parent-set bedtimes are associated with better sleep and improved functioning. To visually send the brain the message that it’s time to sleep, the bedroom should be uncluttered, void of reminders of tasks to be done, and cozy-feeling.

Meanwhile, studies show screen-time stunts imaginary play. When the brain is fed a constant stream of stimulating entertainment that saturates the senses, it deadens the creative drive, as does viewing a 2-D screen with flat, unnatural light. In contrast, reduced levels of stimulation enhance creativity , and varying depth of field and the interplay of depth and shadow found in the natural world stimulate the mind to wonder and imagine.

Research suggests that meditation is associated with increased thickness of the cortex—the exact opposite of an effect found in tech addiction. Another study showed that second and third-graders who were taught mindfulness techniques showed an improvement in executive functioning , particularly in those with pre-existing attention problems.

Other research has shown that expressing and feeling love and compassion helps stimulate the frontal lobe and facilitates executive functioning and self-regulation .

• Incorporate daily chores for the entire family—even the little ones . The Learning Habit Study showed that kids with the highest GPA’s did more chores, had less than 30 minutes of daily screen-time, and spent more time with their parents. Another study showed that children who started doing chores at age 3 or 4 were more likely to have successful relationships and careers and were more self-sufficient. For adults, daily chores have been shown to boost mood and productivity and to decrease risk of heart disease—a condition closely tied to chronic stress.

Also, energy-efficient bulbs (both CFLs and LEDs) emit poor light quality and have been shown to raise stress levels and negatively impact mood. Switch to incandescent bulbs (halogens are closest to the old-style incandescents) to create a more soothing and natural environment.

• Tone down the brightness levels on all screens . For televisions, choose the “natural” setting and lower the brightness and contrast controls to more closely match the surrounding environment. For computers, laptops, tablets, and phones, download software such as f.lux on all your devices, to warm and darken the screen as it gets later in the day. This will help block some of the melatonin-suppressing blue light—but know that melatonin can still be suppressed from screens even when blue light is blocked —just not as much.
• Go wired and give WiFi the boot. This will kill two birds with one stone. First, research suggests that electromagnetic fields emitted by WiFi signals may suppress melatonin and increase arousal levels, just as screen light does. Second, using wired-only Internet access automatically reduces device use, while increasing productivity when you do use it. If you can’t commit to that, at least turn off the WiFi at night to give the nervous system a break.

While we can’t get away from screens entirely, incorporating these practices on a daily basis—along with taking systematic breaks from screens altogether—can go a long way toward protecting the brain and bolstering its resilience , especially over time.

Adapted from Reset Your Child’s Brain : A Four Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen-Time .

Simerpreet Ahuja and Santha Kumari, “The Impact of Extended Video Viewing on Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Processes in Preadolescents” (School of Management and Social Sciences Thapar University, Patiala-147001, 2009).

Christian Cajochen et al., “Evening Exposure to a Light-Emitting Diodes (Led)-Backlit Computer Screen Affects Circadian Physiology and Cognitive Performance,” Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md.: 1985) 110, no. 5 (May 2011): 1432–38.

Lisa Flook et al., “Effects of Mindful Awareness Practices on Executive Functions in Elementary School Children,” Journal of Applied School Psychology 26, no. 1 (February 9, 2010): 70–95.

Stephen Kaplan, “The Restorative Benefits of Nature: Toward an Integrative Framework,” Journal of Environmental Psychology 15, no. 3 (1995): 169–182.

Do-Hyung Kang et al., “The Effect of Meditation on Brain Structure: Cortical Thickness Mapping and Diffusion Tensor Imaging,” Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 8, no. 1 (January 2013): 27–33.

A. J. Lewy, R. L. Sack, and C. M. Singer, “Melatonin, Light and Chronobiological Disorders,” Ciba Foundation Symposium 117 (1985): 231–52.

Rick Nauert, “Does Sunlight & Climate Influence Prevalence of ADHD?” Psych Central, October 22, 2013, http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/10/22/does-sunlight-climate-influence… .

Robert M. Pressman et al., “Examining the Interface of Family and Personal Traits, Media, and Academic Imperatives Using the Learning Habit Study,” The American Journal of Family Therapy 42, no. 5 (October 20, 2014): 347–63.

John J Ratey and Eric Hagerman, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (New York, NY: Little, Brown and Co., 2013).

Rosalina Richards et al., “Adolescent Screen Time and Attachment to Parents and Peers,” Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 164, no. 3 (March 2010): 258–62.

Michelle A Short et al., “Time for Bed: Parent-Set Bedtimes Associated with Improved Sleep and Daytime Functioning in Adolescents,” Sleep 34, no. 6 (June 2011): 797–800.

L. Strathearn, “Maternal Neglect: Oxytocin, Dopamine and the Neurobiology of Attachment: Maternal Neglect: Oxytocin, Dopamine and Attachment,” Journal of Neuroendocrinology 23, no. 11 (November 2011): 1054–65.

J.B. Wallace (2015). Why Children Need Chores. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from: http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-children-need-chores-1426262655

Nancy M. Wells, “At Home with Nature: Effects of ‘Greenness’ on Children’s Cognitive Functioning,” Environment and Behavior 32, no. 6 (November 1, 2000): 775–95.

Helen Y. Weng et al., “Compassion Training Alters Altruism and Neural Responses to Suffering,” Psychological Science 24, no. 7 (July 1, 2013): 1171–80.

Victoria L. Dunckley, M.D. is an integrative child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist, the author of Reset Your Child's Brain , and an expert on the effects of screen-time on the developing nervous system.

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ScreenCoach

Should homework count towards screen time?

• December 1, 2021

For many of us, it doesn’t seem that long ago that homework was written by hand or tapped out on a typewriter.

Even when computers were launched into the mainstream, they weren’t common features in households for a long time. Most activity that used computers revolved around learning to use the device itself, such as typing, coding, and word processing. Computers started to offer time benefits for getting homework and similar tasks done, for those who were lucky to have access to them.

Similarly, mobile phones were just that. They were for making calls, end of story. Now we run businesses – and practically our entire lives – from smart phones and mobile devices. Our kids do their homework on screen-based devices, and even if parents wanted to enforce screen time limits in line with health recommendations, it’s hard to balance that with the requirements from many schools for children to use online platforms to submit homework and assignments.

With this in mind, how should parents address screen time limits with respect to what the screen is being used for?

A screen is a screen

The general recommendation is a maximum of 2 hours of screen time each day for kids aged 2–18 years (some recommendations are incremental according to age), with children under 2 years recommended to have no screen time at all. Given the increase in amounts of homework as kids age, sticking to screen time limits means a reduction in recreational screen-based activities.

So, should homework count as screen time or be deducted from the amount of “available” screen time?

Director of Education at MediaSmarts, Matthew Johnson, says ‘A screen is a screen. Even if you’re using it for good reason, it does count as time when you’re not being active’. If you look at screen time from a health perspective, the limit is about the amount of time spent doing sedentary activities (which can be linked to obesity in young people) rather than the reasons those devices are being used. Doing homework is generally a sedentary activity.

Online homework

Homework is increasingly being done online. The Atlantic reported in 2018 that a federal study found 70% of American teachers regularly assigned homework requiring a computer and internet connection at home, a statistic that increased to 90% for high school. Whether you see this as a problem or not, it doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon.

Brown University research shows that children who spend more time using screen-based devices for recreational activities are less likely to finish homework tasks and have less interest in learning generally (Boston Globe, 2016). It seems logical to suggest that screen limits incorporate homework time together with recreational time to avoid encouraging excess use of screen-based devices.

However, more recent studies conducted by JAMA Pediatrics shows that the overall amount of screen time is not as much to blame as the type of usage of screen-based technology (Time.com, 2019). For example, the study found that watching TV (on average more than 2 hours daily for teens aged 15–19 years) was linked with lower language and maths test scores, with teenagers experiencing this at a higher rate than younger children.

So, what’s the verdict?

Like with all aspects of parenting, we believe that screen use is something each family will make their own decisions on. We believe in balance, so somewhere between what your family needs and what is recommended by health authorities is probably a good idea. Rather than focus on how much time your kids spend on screen-based devices, focus on making screen time an intentional activity. If they know that their allotted screen time (whether it strictly abides by health recommendations or has a bit of wiggle room) includes homework, then they may just be more selective about what they do with the rest of their screen time.

Online Homework Conflicts with Parental Limits on Kids’ Screen Time

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Stephanie Kakris

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