Is Your Child "Addicted" To Screens?

Is your child glued to their screens? Research shows that kids’ and teens’ developing brains are constantly building neural connections while pruning away at neural pathways that are less commonly used. Essentially, the more your child does something, the more likely that habit will stick. Screen time can impact this process by replacing valuable offline experiences, which would otherwise allow them to stretch their emotional and mental capacity. Plus, technology may interfere with everything from your child’s sleep cycle to their ability to think creatively. Help your child find balance between online and offline time so that they can engage in essential brain development.

Here are a few ways to give your child’s brain a BREAK from screen time:

1. Encourage more offline experiences than online –
   Developing constructive, offline habits can be influential on your child’s growth in a multitude of ways, including emotional, cognitive, and creative development. For example, ditch the video games, the smartphone apps, and the social media; try an outdoor activity, like biking or hiking. Consider playing a game like Uno or Apples to Apples to stimulate your mind. Gather the ingredients to make homemade pasta or bake a cookie recipe from scratch. All of these offline activities can help foster your child’s emotional and creative development.
   

2. Limit screen time at night in order to get restful sleep –
   A good night’s sleep is essential for healthy brain development and researchers have found that blue-light emitting screen devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, can disrupt sleep patterns by inhibiting the release of the hormone, melatonin. The late night use of devices not only impacts the hours of sleep one clocks per night, but it also has a tremendous neurological impact as well. When a child struggles with sleep or is feeling tired throughout the day, it leaves him or her more susceptible to being vulnerable to emotional dysregulation. Work with your child on practicing better “before bed” habits: Unplugging at least an hour prior, keeping a regular sleep schedule, and avoiding any stimulation from blue light devices. 
   

3. Encourage your child to step away from the screen –
   The screen time “sensory overload’ causes a child to lack focus and concentration and depletes their mental energy. This affects a child’s ability to manage stress and regulate their mood. Identifying ways to develop healthy stress management skills early will bolster their ability to manage more effectively in the future. Instead of extended periods of screen time exposure, have your child take brief vacations throughout the day. Encourage them to take the dog outside, make a snack, or practice their multiplication tables. Stepping away from a screen’s sensory overload and finding alternative ways to manage their stress can be helpful to lessen long term screen time use impact.
   

4. Practice healthy coping skills to combat the negative effects of too much screen time –
   Building emotional tolerance and coping skills to offset these screen time effects can help aid in long term wellness. For example, screen overuse can exacerbate symptoms like attention, impulsivity, aggression, hyperactivity and difficulty managing social behavior. Equipping your child with healthy coping mechanisms, instead of coping through a screen addiction, can prepare them for improved emotional regulation. For example, in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, implementing breathing exercises can be tremendously helpful in emotional regulation. Try practicing 4-4-8 breathing: inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for eight seconds.

Childhood and adolescence is a critical time for brain development. It’s important that your child get a mixture of online and offline activity in order to fuel healthy cognitive, social, and emotional growth. By understanding the impact of screen time and identifying strategies to help your child grow outside of a virtual world, you can do your best to prevent a screen addiction from developing.