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Why Screen Time Is Not Fine

Screen time has severely increased within the past decade and has revealed there are

several negative outcomes. While there are people pro screen time, there have been many results

of depression, abusive behavior, obesity, and anxiety in children and teens. Screen time has

started to become a natural instinct by the age of five, articles say. Technology has started to

consume everyone’s lives and just become unhealthy habits and it needs to be cut down. I even

see children struggling on an average day, grounded from their phone, not knowing what to do

with themselves. Because of this, I believe my viewpoint is strong yet controversial. Early usage

of screen time could be putting a strain on our ability to develop, learn, communicate, and is

affecting sleep schedules.

Screentime is damaging to children and young teens and Jacob Grandstaff makes this

statement clear. Jacob explains his viewpoint on why screen time is detrimental to children and

how it is correlated to suicide related outcomes. He explains that between the years 2010 and

2015 thirty three percent more teens revealed depression symptoms. This relates to his statement

because he follows by saying kids who spend 5-6+ hours on screens have a sixty six percent

higher rate of becoming suicidal or at least having thoughts of doing so. It’s breathtaking people

still think that excessive screen time is acceptable after statistics produce that number to the

public. He also explains that the new generation has grown up with technology at their hands and

that they abuse it for social media/ gaming unlike the generation before who uses it for work or

improvement. This proves that screen time can be perceived as beneficial for schooling and such

wrong.
 On the other hand, Jessica Stillman believes that we should not limit our kids screen time

because it has shown to decrease their success in school. She explains through examples how

students do worse in college when their parents set a screen time limit. Which I could see just

based on the fact that most homework, text books, and several study helpers are online. She also

explains how kids can lose friends, information through technology, and be sad without screen

time. I do agree with this statement because I use social media often to stay connected with

friends that have moved away and simply just the ones that are local. Some other people seem to

have the same ideas as Jessica such as Danah Boyd. Danah also explains her view that is

opposing to mine. Through her article she states how teens use technology as a way to have fun

in their spare time. I agree with this statement strongly, however I do think there is a time where

it should be cut down or stopped for the day. She states how if American students had less

homework and tests to study for then kids wouldn’t be dying for the leisure of the cell phone or

controller in their hands. Danah believes that children and young teens aren’t addicted to screens

but are craving interactions between others kids. Both of these articles gave strong opposing

viewpoints and do make sense. I agree that in this decade many kids are stuck inside not

communicating face to face with other kids to which results in the only way they can, media.

While that example shows how screen time can cause extraordinary damage to children

Gina Simmons explains a less intense affect. She makes a valid point on how screen time

involving media may result in aggression. Gina is the leader of the Manage Anger Daily for

Teens program for which she takes in and speaks to many teens who’s anger fall to something

related to media. She explains the major step to resolving this is to, “...limit the content and the

time both you and your children consume media (Simmons).” She emphasises that parents
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should repeatedly encourage their children to get into some sort of activities such as art, sports,

or even just to go outside. Her most impactful statement is that, “By the time the average

American child completes elementary school he or she has seen 8,000 murders and over 100,000

other acts of violence on television (Simmons).” I agree with this article completely because it

emphasized how much even apps like Snapchat and Instagram or games like Call Of Duty affect

our emotions. It makes a clear statement that media (screen time) is very powerful and is easy to

abuse if not controlled by, like lets say, a parent.

All of these articles have greatly structured viewpoints and really bring out how

controversial this topic is. Screen time can be perceived and handled from family to family but

results in misbehavior and several illnesses in humans at early ages. It consumes our lives

everyday and when we go without it most of us feel as though we are missing something thats

apart of our bodily functions. Media is a whole other story that is just involved in screen time

and it reveals how easily our emotions can be influenced. To develop and grow we need to get

enough sleep, interact with others, and learn, therefore we must cut down what’s blocking them

all from progressing, excessive screen time.

Works Cited:

Boyd, Danah. “Teens Hooked on Screens.” ​The New York Times​, The New York Times, 2016,

www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/07/16/is-internet-addiction-a-health-threat-for-te
 enagers/blame-society-not-the-screen-time.

Grandstaff, Jacob. "Excessive Screen Time Contributes to Suicide-Related Outcomes in

Teens."

Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection​, Gale, 2019. ​Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/AVMCWT471532885/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&

xid=132e6807​. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019. Originally published as "iGeneration teens

facing deadly consequences for overuse of electronic media," ​Washington Examiner​, 8

Dec. 2017.

Simmons, Gina. "Media Violence Causes Aggression in Children." ​Is Media Violence a

Problem?,​ edited by Stefan Kiesbye, Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. ​Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010187215/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=032

a5f0b. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019. Originally published as "Does Violent Media Cause

Aggression?" Schneider Family Services, 2008.

Stillman, Jessica. “Kids Whose Parents Limit Screen Time Do Worse in College, New Study

Shows.” ​Inc.com​, Inc., 13 June 2018,

www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/kids-whose-parents-limit-screen-time-do-worse-in-college

-new-study-shows.html​.
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