Summer break is a time for relaxation and fun for students, but it's also when screen time can skyrocket. Understanding the effects of excessive screen time on the brain is crucial for fostering healthy habits. In America, (according to a nonprofit named Common Sense Media) children ages 8 to 12, spend nearly six hours per day using media, and teenagers average closer to nine hours a day. To put that in perspective, 25%-38% of a 24-hour day is being used up on a screen for kids.

There are some very real consequences to high screen time usage and, according to a recent study, can lead to the decreased well-being of your child. Do not be afraid, It is not too late! Below we walk through the effects of screen time and then provide several useful tips and tricks to leverage screen time as a good thing!

Let’s quickly run through the Cognitive, Mental, Physical, and Social Effects of screen time. There is a lot to be said about screens and their impacts on our kids, but to keep it brief we will stick to the key points!

Cognitive Effects

1. Reduced Attention Span

   • Overexposure to fast-paced digital content can lead to difficulties in maintaining focus.

2. Impaired Memory

   • Excessive screen time, particularly with multitasking, can affect short-term memory.

Mental Health Impacts

1. Increased Anxiety and Depression

   • High screen time, especially on social media, can contribute to feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

2. Sleep Disruption

   • According to the American Heart Association “light emitted by screens impacts the ability to fall asleep and the quality of sleep, which has been linked to obesity in childhood and later in life”

3. Decrease Curiosity and Ingenuity

   • High screen time has been linked to decreasing levels of curiosity and ingenuity in kids aged 2-17 years.

   • Rather than exploring and discovering answers to questions, Children are being taught to simply “look it up”. This does not require the ingenuity to figure things out when they are handed to you on a silver platter or shiny phone screen

Physical Brain Changes

Excessive screen time can lead to structural and functional changes in the brain, impacting cognitive abilities, emotional regulation, and social development. Limiting screen time and encouraging a variety of engaging, offline activities can help mitigate these effects and promote healthier brain development. The brain is trained by what we do. If what we do for over a quarter of our day is looking at a screen our brains will be affected. Below are just a few ways how.

1. Altered Brain Structure

• Gray Matter Atrophy

1. Studies have found that adolescents with internet addiction showed significant gray matter atrophy in various brain regions, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision-making and self-control.

• Reduced Cortical Thickness

1. Studies have found reduced cortical thickness in individuals with internet addiction, particularly in areas related to critical thinking and reasoning, such as the prefrontal cortex.

• White Matter Integrity

1. Studies have found that higher screen time was associated with lower microstructural integrity of brain white matter tracts involved in language, literacy, and cognitive control.

2. Dopamine Response

• Screen activities, particularly gaming and social media, can overstimulate the brain's reward system, leading to addictive behaviors.

• The brain starts craving the immediate gratification provided by screen activities, making it difficult to engage in less stimulating, real-world activities.

Social and Emotional Development

1. Reduced Social Skills

• Increased screen time can limit face-to-face interactions, hindering the development of social skills.

• Effective communication, empathy, and conflict resolution are not interpersonally practiced when on screens and this can hinder a child’s ability to interact with others.

2. Emotional Regulation

• When children are frequently engaged with screens, they receive constant and immediate gratification from activities like social media, video games, and online videos.

• This instant gratification can disrupt their ability to delay gratification and manage impulses in real-life situations.

Tips for Parents and Guardians

Managing Screen Time

Managing Screens can be hard when it feels so necessary. During the School Year students are given laptops and do work from home. During the summer it is easier to entertain kids with a screen rather than setting aside time to find something to do. LearningRx has an amazing article about having a balance of managed screen time and below are the four most important points to remember!

1. Set Clear Limits

• Establish daily screen time limits.

• Use apps and devices to track and enforce these limits.

• Understand that as your kids grow and change over time, so should their screen limits. The screen time limitations for a five-year-old and a sixteen-year-old will naturally be different and that is good.

2. Create a Daily Schedule

• Include a variety of activities like outdoor play, reading, and family time.

• Balance educational screen time with entertainment. It is not that you cannot use screens at all, but using a routine for the way we use screens helps develop a conscientiousness to the task.

3. Encourage Physical Activity

• Promote sports, swimming, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Yes, hiking can be kid friendly!

• Plan family outings that involve physical activity. The Kentucky Science Center is an excellent example of a fun and physical activity that doesn’t require a screen!

4. Designate Screen-Free Zones

• Keep screens out of bedrooms and dining areas. This helps regulate sleep and facilitate conversations between family members during meals.

• Create spaces dedicated to non-digital activities. This can be the kitchen or the dining table. Wherever you choose, show this rule by example!

5. Be an Example

   • when you model screen etiquette and self-control you are practicing what you are teaching! More than that, you are motivating your kids to turn off the screen and engage with you.

   • Help children set their own limits and enforce consequences when they do not self-regulate. This teaches responsibility and consequences for going back on your word. You can use Screen Time as a teachable moment on Integrity!

Educational Screen Time

A study conducted in 2019 found that Educational Screen Time had no discoverable ill effects. Not all screen time is the same and passive screen usage was found to be to poor health and educational outcomes. We are not saying to never use a screen. In the modern day and age, it is unrealistic. What is realistic is shifting screen usage away from passive and unhelpful screen usage to something more educational. It is okay to set this in the schedule as well as routine is a great force in growth and development.

Alternative Activities

Alternate activities to screen usage are essential for fostering well-rounded development in children and students. Creative pursuits such as arts and crafts, reading, or playing musical instruments enhance cognitive skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. Social interactions through playdates and community involvement help develop essential social skills and emotional intelligence. Additionally, participating in these diverse activities provides a balanced lifestyle, reduces the risk of mental health issues like anxiety and depression, and promotes better sleep patterns, leading to overall improved well-being and academic performance.

1. Do Creative Projects

   • Arts and crafts are wonderful ways to spark creativity in your children. One great option is to come to our Summer Clubs and practice crochet and art!

2. Promote Reading

   • Visit the local library and set reading goals. A great reading goal for this summer is our Summer Reading Challenge. It’s fun and you can win amazing prizes just for reading!

3. Facilitate Socializing

   • Consider organizing playdates, joining clubs, or engaging in community events. This roots your kids where they live and in a way you can be a part of too!

4. Volunteering

   • Encourage participation in community service or local events. Louisville has several places to volunteer with your kids! Here is a list of family-friendly places to volunteer.

Benefits of Limiting Screen Time

1. Physical Health

• Screen time has strong links to sedentary tasks. Decreasing Screen time can decrease sedentary tasks in kids, providing them with movement and exercise that can help stave off obesity.

• Blue light from screens has been found to decrease melatonin production resulting in poor quality sleep or irregular sleep rhythms. By avoiding devices before bed, it has been found that sleep is longer, more regular, and results in greater waking alertness.

2. Mental Health

• It has been found that decreasing overall daily screen time has improved the feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation in children ages 2-17.

• Limiting screens requires the brain to work more tangibly rather than being answered by a webpage. This has been found to increase memory and improve kids' attention span.

3. Engagement and Sense of Place

• By limiting screen time and disengaging with devices, kids (and adults too) can be better engaged with the people and circumstances around them.

• By being engaged with the world around them Kids get a better sense of where they are in the world rather than getting lost in the waves of media.

Conclusion

Ultimately, balancing screen time during summer break helps maintain a healthy lifestyle. More than that though, this can be a time where boundaries are set and mutual engagement over more than a screen can develop within the home. Screens are not a necessary evil in the world. They are not evil at all, but we have to be smart with how we use them, and how our kids use them.

Encouraging a variety of activities also ensures a productive and enjoyable break for students. Being on devices all the time may be effective at entertainment but the quality is low. Diverse means of engagement make the summer far more enjoyable. So Let’s promote that and work towards a productive and diverse summer of activities and challenges.