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Striking a Balance: Screen Time, Mental Health, and Kids

Written by Pulin ChiuUpdated on April 26, 2023
Dr. Joel-Gator-Warsh

Medical reviewed byJoel Warsh, MD, MSc

Pediatrician

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I think parents should control screen time. One of the biggest issues with mental health and children is screen time being on the phones too much. We're talking about teens, talking about social media. And I think that social media is a massive harm to children in general and their mental health.
If it's educational and it's short term, we're talking like 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there, I think that's totally fine and reasonable. If you're plopping them down in front of the screen instead of parenting for two or three or four hours and not having them be active and be engaged, and I think that is more harmful.
It's definitely harder to learn from a screen that's been proven. It doesn't mean you can't learn anything, but their kids learn much better through active participation. So parent back and forth or teacher back and forth.
It's great that we have the technology so that we can communicate with people, but it's not the same as being with other people. It's lonely to a degree and it's great that you can maybe communicate with a grandparent across the world, that's good.
But we're not active, we're not outside exercising, we're not in nature, we're not engaging with people face to face. The easiest way to have them off of a screen is to have them doing other things that they love and then they're not gonna be interested to be on a screen if they're doing other things.
Let's say they like baseball, then have them in a baseball league and have them playing sports and they're not gonna be in front of a screen when they're on the field, right? So figuring out what those things are can really be ideal to help get them off the screen. Keeping them active and keeping them engaged stops them from even wanting to be on the screen. They're not thinking about it.
In today's tech-driven world, children's screen time is on the rise. While digital devices offer numerous advantages, excessive screen time can take a toll on their mental health. This article delves into the connection between screen time and mental health, offering parents valuable strategies to strike a balance between technology use and real-world experiences for their kids.
We're not active, we're not outside exercising, we're not in nature, we're not engaging with people face to face. The easiest way to have them off of a screen is to have them doing other things that they love and then they're not gonna be interested to be on a screen if they're doing other things.
Dr. Joel-Gator-Warsh

Joel Warsh, MD, MSc

Pediatrician

Summary

Dr. Gator offers practical advice for parents, suggesting ways to maintain a healthy balance between screen time and real-world experiences to promote better mental well-being for their kids.

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