By: Jaclyn Rink, MSCP, LLP
- The CDC recommends limiting your tech time to 2 hours per day, not including the time necessary to do homework/work.
- Children and teens (ages 8-18) spend approximately 7.5 hours a day on technology for entertainment purposes.
- 4-5 of these hours, on average are spent watching T.V. or Youtube videos.
Spending more than 3 hours a day on technology has been linked to higher rates of mental health disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, etc.)
The Pros:
- Platform for expression & creativity
- Immediate access to supports
- Keeps us socially connected to others
- Access to information/knowledge
- Real-time life updates
- Networking opportunities
- Inspiration to new activities and experiences (e.g. travel, hobbies)
- Virtual learning can more easily accommodate different learning styles
- Potentially motivating
The Cons:
- Can leave us feeling left out or lonely: FOMO
- Over usage linked to mental health disorders
- Cyberbullying and harassment
- Expectation to always be available
- Disrupts sleep
- Pressure to be popular and appear perfect
- Mindless scrolling = major time waster
- Sedentary activity
- Inaccurate & misleading information
