Screen Time
Have you ever heard of the phrase "too much of a good thing"? When reading up on the March 2024 research on screen time from Pew Research, that was the only phrase that came to mind. In this article, researchers surveyed both teens and parents on a range of screen time related topics ranging from emotional ties to devices to the challenges parents are facing while raising kids in the digital age.
When taking the time to digest the key findings from these surveys, the one statistic that jumps out at me concerns distracted parenting. In my opinion, we are so quick to judge tweens and teens for being absorbed in their devices when parents and other adults can be just as distracted by tech; it's truly a situation of the pot calling the kettle black. Research shows that 38% of teens say they spend too much time on their phone, while 47% of parents admit to spending too much time on their phones. What's more interesting is how the percentages vary when taking into account outside factors, such as household income or race. When looking at households that have an annual income of $75,000 or more, 50% of parents would say they spend too much time on their phones. Alter the annual household income to those who earn $30,000 or less per year and we see a 12% decrease to only 38% of parents-- could this maybe be attributed to the possibility of having to work multiple jobs to meet ends meet?
Additionally, when it comes to parental distraction, parents are seeing things through rose colored glasses compared to their teens. According to Pew Research, nearly half of teens (46%) say their parent is sometimes distracted by their phone when trying to talk to them; 8% of those teens would go one step further, citing that the distraction happens very often. In contrast, when asked to examine their own behavior, only 31% of parents say that their distraction with technology happens on a regular basis. While I am not a parent, I would be interested to hear my students' take on whether or not they feel I get distracted by various technologies when they need something during the school day!
Social Media and Mental Health
At some point or another, I feel that it is fair to say that everyone will struggle with some aspect of their mental health. The mental health crisis among young people has been well documented, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But how much of a role can social media play in the growth or destruction of one's mental health status? Common Sense's 2023 report compares the relationship of social media and mental health to that of a double-edged sword. Through their work, researchers at Common Sense devised seven key findings. While all findings were eye-opening to me, the following stood out the most:- Most young people encounter negative attacks on identity and body-shaming comments on social media, as well as identity affirming and body-positive comments.
- Social media is a double-edged sword for LGBTQ+ youth, offering both important opportunities for support and identity affirmation, and greater exposure to harassment and stress.
While a majority of young social media users ages 14-22 will face body shaming and receive or see comments that are racist, sexist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature, social media can also provide a space to explore one's identity and uplift others. According to Common Sense's report, 68% of social media users often or sometimes come across comments celebrating a range of body shapes, sizes, and capabilities. Additionally, 63% of young people see comments affirming people of different racial or ethnic backgrounds and 63% see comments affirming people from the LGBTQ+ communities. While there is certainly much harm that social media can cause, I think it is refreshing and good to remember that social media can also provide a positive outlet for many to find their community and be uplifted as they discover and step into their identity.
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteThe statistics you posted about are very intriguing to me. About how many teens have said their parents are distracted by phones when they are talking. I immediately thought about all those times my parent would tell me to put my phone down, only to find them surfing Facebook when we were having family time. Not saying they are a bad parent for this, but it is comical to think about. It reminds me of do as I say not as I do line that parents have relied on before. I think of how many times I have told my parent to not trust something they read on Facebook as true when they used to tell me all the time as a kid to not trust the internet. Haha, life can be really funny sometimes. I liked your delve into social media and mental health. The positive and negative effects it can have on young people. I like how you end it on a positive note, saying that social media can do a lot of good for people and can help them find community. Thinking back to your mention of social media being a double-edged sword, do you think that schools and teachers have a responsibility to educate students about basically not bullying each other online? I remember all of those anti-bullying rallies my school gave in both middle school and high school, and I wonder how they have updated it to include social media.
I was raised as one of the only teenagers in my school that did not have a cellphone, so I never have been told to get off my phone or had stand-offs with my parents about phone usage. I do find it amusing however that even though I am an adult and my parents are much more grown, when I go to visit them all my conversations are with them distracted on their phones or scrolling through TikTok instead. I will sometimes ask myself if parents of today deal with this in their own children and find it not my place to put their phone away and engage in a conversation. Cell phones keep us connected in some ways and disconnect us in other ways it seems.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly
ReplyDeleteRaising awareness of social media and mental health is important for teens and young adults so they can know what the negative effects of social media can lead to. Social media can have positive effects on teens because they can be more connected with their friends and exchange ideas with them but when you are connected with the real world it can attract negative online attacks. Using social media can be very distracting too and we need to make the right balance to use it so we can try to limit the rising rates of mental health on teens.
YESSSSSSS on the parent observation! We, as a society, love to point out people's flaws without taking responsibility for sometimes modeling the same behavior.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI love how your post focused on parents usage of technology, I thought it was very interesting to see the focus be turned around. We often don't realize how much technology has effected others besides teens. I also love that you are bringing the aspect of mental health and social media! It's so much easier for mental health to be affected when technology makes it so easy for the negative things to come to rise.