The results of the study, titled, “Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids,” was unveiled last weekend by Dr. Larry D. Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills. I found it in the predictably titled article: "Kids Who Use Facebook Do Worse in School." Rosen's study highlights how we are just beginning to understand the psychological implications of ubiquitous use of social media among young people.
A worrisome paragraph in the article is:
"Teenagers and young adults who are persistently logged on to Facebook are more often to show psychological disorders, like mania, paranoia, aggressive tendencies , antisocial behavior and increased alcohol use. These teens also more often displayed narcissistic tendencies, which are fed by their ability to constantly broadcast information about themselves through Facebook."
While not too surprising to anyone who has been pondering the long-term social effects of this new on-line world in which we live, it is sobering. And sad.
His study observed that most kids - in this case middle school age up to college students - when asked to study a subject in which they are truly interested for just fifteen minutes were off-task within three minutes. Despite knowing they were being observed, these kids could not resist letting their minds and hands wander to check for texts or Facebook posts. Of course the research points out that kids who can resist the urge to multi-task do better in school.
I've been concerned for awhile about the addictive nature of iPad/iPhone apps on attention span and ability to focus in my kids - i-generation kids. So concerned that I started this blog! Even at ages six and eight, their perceived "need" to get to the next Ninjago level or check on their Smurfville crops increases exponentially with every occurrence of screen time - even less than 30 minutes a day. How are they going to resist the urge later, when they are not limited by mom or dad?
For older kids, Rosen mentions the tactic of "tech breaks" as a solution: telling kids they can have one minute to check their media after fifteen minutes of uninterrupted study. Apparently, the multi-tasking issue is pervasive enough among young people that Rosen is advocating for the use of "tech breaks" in schools.
For the younger ones, he talks about the importance of building good screen time habits now. As the parent of children over which we still have some influence, my husband and I are taking this research to heart. We are talking to our kids about their habits, distinguishing between real and virtual worlds, and re-doubling our efforts to engage them in off-line activities like playing games and making up stories. While we still can.
We already know that the part of the human brain responsible for impulse control continues developing until well into the late teens and early 20s - especially for boys. What remains unknown is the effect habitual usage of i-generation apps will have on brain development and higher brain functions, such as impulse control, especially when it begins in toddlerhood. Who among us has not pacified our kids with an iPhone recently? My i-generation kids will develop better patience, impulse control and persistence skills if I make sure they ample opportunities to flex them.
Dr. Rosen has been studying the effects of technology on people for more than 25 years. In a telling quote at the end of his remarks he notes that his own children, ages 21 and 24 are constantly using technology and says: “I'm so happy I was able to raise them in an era when the worst thing was a bad video game.”
Going out on an alarmist limb here.....will unchecked on-line use be the i-generation's drug problem? Will a future First Lady start a "Just Say No to Apps" campaign?
Clearly there is a wealth of richness and benefit we enjoy from the Internet and all this wonderful mobile technology. I love my iPhone! Our iPad has completely displaced our PC (sorry Microsoft)!
That said, from this day forward, our house is putting screen time management high on the list of good habits, right up there with brushing and flossing and cleaning up after yourself. The time to form good self-care habits is now. If you believe in the results of this study, managing screen time has become another form of self care. A habit we can, and should, help our children form now, while we still have some degree of control over them.
That said, from this day forward, our house is putting screen time management high on the list of good habits, right up there with brushing and flossing and cleaning up after yourself. The time to form good self-care habits is now. If you believe in the results of this study, managing screen time has become another form of self care. A habit we can, and should, help our children form now, while we still have some degree of control over them.
