The societal landscape changed when the internet and personal cellphones hit the marketplace. I know there is benefits to social media and internet usage but with most things, we must practice moderation. Let's take a look at some of the statistics and social-emotional changes that are occurring in our youth of today.
Youth ages 8-28 are spending about 45 hours a week on screens.
A lot of social media accounts are fake which means this leaves your kiddo open to potential dangers. People aren't always honest about who they are or their intentions.
Several youth create secondary accounts to hide activity from their parents/guardians.
Increased Cyberbullying
Increase in poor sleeping patterns. We all know that sleep is vital for our physical and mental well-being.
Lack of parental supervision and control. A lot of parents I talk to don't know what their youth is doing on their phones or have parental controls turned on. I've made multiple calls to parents about illegal or inappropriate activity their youth has participated in and all those parents are shocked!
Increased poor concentration in school and in their personal life.
Increased discipline occurrences for cell-phone violations in class. Youth will take Snaps during class, videos or pictures of other students or staff without their knowledge.
Long-term physical and mental health issues. Like obesity, depression, anxiety, ADHD, poor attention span, and being committed to environmental responsibilities (jobs, homework, chores, etc.)
Susceptible to addiction. Research is showing an alarming trend of increased gaming and screen-time addiction.
Poor communication skills.
Increase in lower self-esteem.
Increased rates of suicide and self-harm.
Increased behavioral changes in youth.
This list is only a fraction of the side effects of screen-time not only for youth but adults as well.
Check out "Social Dilemma" on Netflix.
Center of Parenting Education: https://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/kids-and-technology/how-much-time-internet-kids/
Smart Social: https://smartsocial.com/post/social-media-statistics