Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Alexis Canzanese
Mrs.Perry
English 9 Honors
16 May, 2018
The Impact of the Increased Use of Screen Time on Children and Adolescents
Imagine walking down a crowded sidewalk in New York City. Millions of people are
rushing from one place to another. Now, imagine walking along a shopping center or into a
restaurant or cafe. What is almost every person holding in his or her hands? In present day
society, it is common for people to have a digital device with them wherever they go. Cell
phones, televisions, computers, laptops, tablets, video games, these are all familiar products that
are used in people’s daily lives. As the years progress, technology is advancing and incoming
generations are growing up surrounded by screens. The amount of time children and adolescents
spend engaging with digital devices has significantly increased and the numbers continue to rise
as new technologies are introduced into society. Many children and teens are using technology
on a daily basis. While many children and teens enjoy using technology, people are not aware of
how screens are affecting children’s health. The increase in screen time is causing mental health
issues to rise in children and adolescents. Multiple scientific studies have been conducted to
assess the negative health effects the increased use of screen time has on children and
adolescents. The digital media that was observed in the studies included television use, video
games, social media, and other digital activities involving screens. Consequently, the impact of
the increased use of digital media is a rising topic among scientists and is being encouraged to be
discussed among families to protect the mental health of children and teens. The increased use of
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screen time is detrimental to the health of children and adolescents by causing mental and
emotional health issues to rise, hurting academic performance, and increasing social isolation
To begin, the increase in the amount of time children and adolescents are spending using
digital devices is negatively manipulating their mental and emotional health by causing
depression and suicide rates to rise and by altering the mindset that young girls have about their
body image. In the first place, adolescents are being exposed to various social media networks
more often because the amount of time they spend using their cellphones is consistently
increasing. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center reported, "by 2015 about 85 percent
of young adults had smartphones and were using their devices a lot more” (Chen). The increase
in the use of smartphones for teenagers is associated with an increase in the use of social media.
The increase in social media is consistently exposing teenagers to a wide variety of posts that are
putting them at a higher risk for depression and suicide. On social media, teenagers are scrolling
through posts that are lowering their self-esteem and causing them to feel excluded from their
friends. According to Twenge, a psychologist from San Diego State University, in a study,
teenagers who used social media daily were 13 percent more likely to report feeling depressed
than teenagers who did not use social media on a daily basis (Chen). In another study, Twenge
surveyed a group of 13 to 18-year old adolescents about their online media use habits and found
that “a third of teens who used devices at least two hours a day” had thoughts or plans to commit
suicide (Chen). The studies conducted by Twenge that assessed the increasing rates of depression
and suicide show how the increase in screen time is associated with harming the mental and
emotional health of teenagers. Point in fact, the rates of depression and suicide among
adolescents increased at the same time the use of smartphones and screen time increased.
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Not only is the increase in screen time manipulating the mental health of adolescents by
causing them to feel depressed and suicidal, but screen time is also negatively impacting the way
adolescent girls are perceiving their body image. Ever since screen time increased, more teenage
girls are being exposed to the negative messages the media is conveying about the body image of
women. Psychologists have evaluated how the media is portraying women and have concluded
attractiveness in all forms of media, including television programs, films… the media mostly
portray a standard of beauty according to which a woman must be young, thin, and shapely”
(Khor). The evaluation of the media shows how as children and adolescents use digital media
more often, they are becoming more self-aware of their physical appearance towards others
because of the distorted messages the media posts about how women should look. As screen time
for adolescents continues to increase, adolescent girls are vulnerable to developing a poor self
esteem about their body image because of the rigid standards the media sets for a woman’s
adolescents are watching place a strong emphasis on how physical appearance determines
success in life and how a major role of a woman is to “appear attractive to men; their appearance,
body size, and weight are continually the subject of comments” (Khor). Adolescent girls are
constantly being exposed to television programs that contain negative stereotypes about a
woman's physical appearance. The amount of time adolescents are viewing negative television
programs and using various forms of media is increasing and is detrimental to their emotional
health because of the focus the media puts on the physical appearance of women.
Pursuing this topic further, the increase in screen time is detrimental to the mental health
of children and adolescents because it is hurting their academic performance. The increase in
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technology use has caused the academic performance of young children to plummet by
negatively impacting their comprehension skills and cognitive development. First off, teachers
are using more digital devices as learning tools for students. Although, instead of helping
students learn more efficiently, the increase of technology in the classroom is leading to lower
test scores. Many students believe that they can multitask during class by engaging in off task
activities on their digital devices. A study was conducted that assessed a group of students who
either used a digital device during class or did not use a device at all. The results of the study
showed that the students who used mobile devices during class for off task purposes got lower
test scores than those who used their mobile devices for on task reasons or did not use a mobile
device at all (Kowalski). The results of the study are an example of how the increase of screen
time in the classroom has caused students to become distracted during class. Students tend to use
their digital devices to engage in off task activities rather than engage in the lesson that they are
being taught. By the same token, another study was conducted that surveyed how students are
using their digital devices in the classroom. In the study, one group of students were allowed to
either text or tweet a message about anything not related to the class lecture. The other group
could only text or tweet a message related to the class lecture. According to the study, the
students who sent a message related to the lecture did “70 percent better on the test than did
students that could text and tweet about anything and scored 50 percent higher on note-taking”
(Kowalski). The study acted as a simulation of what is now considered a typical classroom
setting and showed how students are using the increase of screen time in class. For example,
students are able to use digital devices for taking notes and other academic purposes. Although,
students are not taking advantage of the increase in technology and are using it in ways that
hinder their academic performance. As schools continue to introduce technology and the new
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digital learning style into their curriculums, more students are becoming preoccupied with off
task activities by using their devices during class. Correspondingly, the increase of screen time in
the classroom is associated with lower test grades and poorer study habits for students.
A third reason why the increase in screen time is harmful to the mental health of children
and adolescents is that screen time is causing social isolation and is decreasing face-to-face
communication. The number of children and adolescents who spend excessive amounts of time
using digital media is consistently increasing. Excessive media exposure is causing children to
become less socially active and more self-absorbed. For example, children are viewing television
programs more often than they are spending time interacting with their friends in person.
According to a psychological study, the increase in television viewing time among children is
causing a “vicious cycle” where children who are watching more television are becoming more
socially isolated (Khor). The social isolation that results from increased television viewing
causes children to increase their television viewing time even more in order to “compensate for
their lack of social interactions, which further increases their social isolation” (Khor). The
psychological evaluation of the increase in television viewing shows how screen time and social
isolation are increasing in a chain-like reaction. Social isolation increases as television viewing
increases. Moreover, the social isolation that is resulting from the increase in television viewing
is stopping children from developing successful social interaction skills. Multiple studies have
observed the effects of television viewing on mental health and discovered that “children
viewing a lot of television, especially programs with violent content, had increased antisocial
behavior and decreased positive social behaviors” (Khor). Overall, screen time continues to harm
the mental health of children and teenagers by hindering their social interaction skills and
preventing them from developing new and successful relationships with others.
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However, some people argue that the new technologies introduced by the increase in
screen time are beneficial to the mental health of children and adolescents. According to a teen
surveyed in a study, Aashima, the increase in screen time is beneficial for communicating and
explained, “The pros are connecting to your friends immediately and being able to talk to them
and share your ideas in a public way” (Chen). Other scientists also argue that the increase in
screen time is benefiting the mental development of children and adolescents, stating that
“regular gamers seem to perform better at tests of visual attention and spatial awareness”
(Phillips). Even though people consider the increase in screen time to be beneficial for
communication and brain development, the positive outcomes are associated with negative
outcomes. For example, the increase in technology has enabled teenagers to connect with their
friends easily and share their ideas publicly, but many teens are using their cell phones and
technology as their primary way of communicating. As a result, social interaction between teens
decreased and at the same time, depression and suicide rates increased. A scientist explained the
connection between screen time and depression and stated, "One of the biggest things happening
in society at exactly the time of the depression spike was a rapid proliferation of smartphones"
(Chen). In the same way, another study explained how “each additional hour/day spent watching
television or screen viewing in adolescence was associated with greater odds of prevalent
depression in young adulthood” (American College of Pediatrics). Not only is screen time
associated with social isolation and depressive mental health issues, but screen time is also
negatively influencing the academic performance of children and teens. To reiterate, screen time
has increased spatial awareness and improved the visual attention span of gamers. Although, as
spatial awareness and visual attention span increased, academic performance decreased.
Scientists have stated that students “appear to be doing much worse on practical tests of
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understanding space, volume and conservation of quantities” because digital learning techniques
have taken away the “physical games with sand and water that allow [students] to gain
experience of volumes and densities” (Phillips). People may consider the increase in screen time
beneficial for children and adolescents because it allows easy access to communication and has
introduced new digital games that help with cognitive development. Although, when the overall
effects of screen time are considered, screen time is negatively impacting children and teens
more often than positively impacting them. Above all, the increase in screen time is harmful for
In conclusion, the increase in screen time is hurting the mental health of children and
adolescents by increasing depression and suicide rates, hindering academic performance, and
decreasing face to face social interaction. Children and adolescents are using digital media more
often and are interacting less with others. The increase in screen time is also constantly exposing
children and adolescents to deleterious posts on social media and is becoming a distraction for
students. It is important to consider the harmful effects screen time has on children and
adolescents as the amount of time they spend using screens continues to increase and as digital
Works Cited
American College of Pediatrics. “The Impact of Media Use and Screen Time on
www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/parenting-issues/the-impact-of-
Unhappiness? (Cover Story).” Scientific American Mind, vol. 29, no. 2, Mar. 2018, p. 18.
EBSCOhost,
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Khor, Ing-Wei. “Media Exposure and Mental Health.” Psychology & Behavioral Health,
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Kowalski, Kathiann. “Work and Grades Tend to Suffer When There Is Off-Task Use in
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=sch&AN=115744
Phillips, Helen. “Mind-Altering Media. (Cover Story).” New Scientist, vol. 194, no. 2600,
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