Managing screen-time is one of the great challenges of this day and age. A social issue that emerged in the era of three channels on our TVs has deepened in stages from the advent of the personal computer to today’s smartphone age.

The pandemic introduced a new layer of complexity as nearly everyone felt compelled to increase screen-time for work, school, and socialization. While it is tempting to shrug our shoulders (if we even can while hunched over our screens) and think, “That’s just the way of the world,” the truth is that teachers, parents, and students still maintain control.

Ensuring appropriate behavior and interaction with screens starts at home, according to Patrick Meisch, Saint Thomas Academy science teacher and e-sports head coach. “Like most things in life, moderation is key in screen-time usage,” he said. “Striking a balance requires consistent oversight and modeling of appropriate use by parents. Screens are ubiquitous, and the pandemic has made it more problematic for parents to model behavior, when kids see their parents using their screens all the time. We have to help students understand why it is important that screens are used responsibly.”

Among the reasons, according to Jackie VanDiver, a learning specialist at the Academy: “The pre-frontal cortex is still maturing in our students, which affects planning, organization, and task initiation. Kids now are sometimes more in tune to their computers than they are to people. We see more anxiety, lack of interaction with other students, lower coping skills, eye strain, headaches, neck and back pain, and obesity.

“We’ve had a few students diagnosed with technology addiction. I wonder whether they felt they didn’t fit in, and that’s why they turned to the computer. Or did their computer use cause their lack of socialization and their withdrawal?”

For all the doom and gloom associated with too much screen-time, Meisch and VanDiver share observations and tips that reveal silver linings and solutions.

“We can teach students that playing on-screen is recreational, Meisch said, but like any form of recreation, “it cannot be done at the cost of more important things, like growing into a productive member of society. People too often grab for their phones whenever they’re not doing something, and then they start grabbing for it even when they are supposed to be doing homework or something else that contributes.

“Or, sometimes they rush through stuff to get to the luxury of playing games. Or, they’re ‘alt-tabbed’ to play a game at the same time as they’re on a Zoom, and they end up getting distracted from both. It’s not just a question of the amount of screen-time, but the concept that screen-time comes after the responsibility of succeeding in school, jobs, socialization, and other socially required, normative behaviors.”

“I’m pre-emptive,” said VanDiver, who teaches the S.O.A.R. summer study-skills class to about 50 or 60 students. “It’s a big part of the curriculum for that class to talk about computer time and what to do with their phones. Phones are not really used for much academically. We might use it as a timer and nothing else. Upper school students can use it to organize and plan.

“I suggest for outside of school that if students listen to music while they study, they not use their phones or computers for that music and that they not sleep with their phone nearby. Turn the phone off an hour before bed to rest your eyes and get that screen-strain out of you.”

Meisch suggests that parents watch their students for certain behaviors. “If they’re alone in their room for five hours at a time, and you trust that, but then you notice their grades fall off, you need to be so connected to your child that if someone asks what your kid is doing at a given moment, you can answer accurately. Notice how frequently their phone is in their hand or within reach.”

Despite overall concern with screen-time, Meisch points out the value of e-sports. As the coach of the Academy’s team, which consistently competes at a state-championship-level, he sees that “high school e-sports are growing at a fever pitch, because they provide an outlet for more people to compete on a team basis. It offers an ability to form connections. I graduated seven seniors from my teams last school year, and at their graduation parties saw many of their friends they’d made through the e-sports club.”

VanDiver adds that parents must understand the importance of their children’s digital lives: “My daughter, who is in college now, says, ‘This is our life. This is how we know how to learn.’ It’s a skill-set she’s honed that involves her self-identity, autonomy, entertainment, and social support system. Parents have to balance screen-time. If we take too much away, they can lose a sense of identity and autonomy.”

You may have surmised from the remarks of Meisch and VanDiver that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to questions about screen-time. But for much of the additional background that may help teachers, parents, and students navigate that challenge, VanDiver references these resources:

https://www.childrenandscreens.com/2017-children-and-screens-supplement-2/  (Lots of good information in multiple articles.)

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.671817/full  (Study on screen time and brain functioning.)

https://nhahealth.com/screen-dependency-disorder-the-effects-of-screen-time-addiction/

https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/ACH-News/General-News/Screen-Time-Side-Effects-in-Kids-and-Teens

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/201402/gray-matters-too-much-screen-time-damages-the-brain

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_risks_of_too_much_screen_time_for_teens