Problematic media use by children began to spike during the COVID-19 pandemic and research now shows how harmful it is. For starters, COVID-19 caused a lack of interpersonal interaction and an excess amount of screen time for kids. With screen time minutes almost doubling during quarantine, the possibility of developing health issues has occurred.
High exposure to problematic media use can cause psychological, communicational and behavioral problems. Studies have shown that, since the pandemic, reading and math scores of many children have dropped several points. Over the past several years there has been a decline in learning curves, but it has become a larger problem recently. High amounts of media usage translate into less time spent on studies.
That affects generations down the road.
When children become dependent on media it also begins to affect their activities, health and mobility. There are different sides to media for kids, and some are beneficial because there are platforms for education and learning purposes. However, there is a dark sid. It is the unmonitored posts of inappropriate or harmful content. Research has shown that 32.6 percent of six- to ten-year-olds have problematic media use. Obviously, though, this can be avoided by monitored screen time, reinforcement and interaction with peers or family.
Remember, too, that adult influence has a huge impact on kids. So when parents are active on media sites and technology, it becomes a norm for many children. During COVID-19, almost 70 percent of adults had an increase in screen time. When adolescents and adults spend large amounts of time on media, so will children.
Research further shows the pandemic caused many parents to be relieved from jobs or moved to virtual working. With such stressful work environments, unsupervised media and television became a quick option for kids. The conclusion: young children who are exposed to hours of television each day are more likely to develop communication delays.
Furthermore, parents were not the only adults that struggled. Educators faced hardships as well. COVID-19 had a large impact on the education system and that led to teachers and staff working hard to continue a strong learning process through virtual classes.
The director of Learning and Development for Employees from one of the three largest school districts in metro Atlanta shared with this writer one of these struggles. “We worked tirelessly to help overcome those barriers and constraints,” she says. And she added that parents and teachers worked hard for their kids to obtain the most normal lifestyles that could be created during tough times.
Creating an environment with less activity, such as being quarantined, can easily cause health issues. Increased screen time will cause kids to have a much higher chance of facing obesity. With the lack of extracurricular activities and more media, many children had less physical movement and exercise. When exposed to more media, it leads to more sitting and encouragement to eat unhealthy foods and drinks. With little opportunities for kids to interact with others, it became the norm to spend large quantities of time sitting or lying down watching television and other content. It is a reminder for all generations to keep their bodies healthy and moving through exercise, to maintain a positive lifestyle.
Sleeping is very important for growing children and during the pandemic many sleep schedules were disrupted due to more screen time and less activity. Science has shown that being on a cellphone or computer before bed can affect a person’s sleep pattern. Kids who have high media exposure are likely to have unpredictable and irregular sleep patterns. Not only will this affect their daily lives, but their health as well. Many teenagers and younger children spend three to five hours on social media each day during the pandemic. Such high levels of screen time can affect the natural production of melatonin in their bodies and can stunt some growth process. It has been recommended to both kids and adults to read before bed to avoid the disruption of sleep.
There are benefits to technology in homes and school systems to give children modern ways of learning. Many platforms are great sources for expanding knowledge; however, it should be monitored. Many platforms have created kids’ content which limits what children can view and watch. Since Covid, many parents have dealt with problematic media use in households, and it will only continue to get worse.
Bottom line: It is up to future generations to change the path we continue.
Kacey Cross is a Kennesaw State University junior who is a summer intern with InsiderAdvantage Georgia and JAMES Magazine.
