In listening to parents, the time spent on screens for learning is an area of great concern. It should be. Long gone are the days of a backpack full of books; schools rely on technology, and many students have their own device. Being on a screen for primary learning is not the best way to learn when speaking from a brain perspective.

Here’s What Research Tells Us About Technology and Our Brain

Excess Screen Time Can Lower Language and Thinking Tests

Data from an NIH study states children who spent more than two hours a day on screen-time activities scored lower on language and thinking tests. It also went onto state that some children with more than seven hours a day of screen time experienced thinning of the brain’s cortex, the area of the brain related to critical thinking and reasoning.

Screens Can Affect Our Ability to Control Ourselves

Screen use releases dopamine in the brain. Dopamine gives off a reward signal to the brain. It is released when our screens ding, send us hearts or give us thumbs up, which can negatively affect impulse control, something our kids all need to be training for. That’s right, screen time directly affects your child’s ability to control themselves. Screen time affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain, where focused attention, reasoning and logical thinking skills reside.

Screens Cause Our Bodies to Produce Stress

That’s right, that little screen is causing your body to release cortisol and that cortisol, it has a detrimental effect on mental and physical well-being over the long term. Too much screen time causes repeated stress on the Central Nervous System, resulting in behavioral issues including becoming angry, impulsive, isolated, aggressive, and leading to more focus on self and less on others, which reduces empathy. And that’s without cyberbullying, which is frequent and affects children at a social, emotional and mental level.

Excess Screens Can Raise Our Glucose Level

Screens cause issues with the secretion of insulin that can damage the body's ability to absorb glucose to produce energy. In a 2010 study of 4495 teens who spent over two hours a day (think about how much your teen spends a day on screens) using computers/phones/ipads/gaming possessed higher insulin levels than those spending less time. Those higher insulin levels put kids at greater risk of diabetes, metabolic disorders and obesity and can lead to life-long health issues.

So As a Parent, What Can I Do About It?

Assess School Screen Time

Access how much screen time your kid will use during the day for school. Each teacher/school will structure it differently, so feel free to ask them how their school year will look screen-wise. Then, start tracking how much time is spent on the screen when your kids are home. Collecting this baseline data can help you determine how you want to regulate other screen time.

Being on a screen for hour upon hour without a break is not healthy or safe. Whether your child is in a school building or virtual learning, a 5-10 minute break between online learning to go outside and get some physical activity and fresh air is vital. Keep this in mind for fun-screen time, too. Break it in chunks and get some fresh air and movement.

Make a One Screen at a Time Rule

In our house, this is a non-negotiable. If you are online learning, your other devices, Ipad, phones, etc. are not with you, not even by you, so you aren’t tempted. This is an opportunity to help your child develop good screen usage habits and not develop chronic distractibility, which is precisely what you are doing when doing multiple screens when learning is occurring.

Based on the amount of time on screens, set a counter time for other screens and stick to it. For instance, in our house, you get a ½ hour of extra screen time past homework. This screen time comes after dinner and is only possible if you completed school work, did your chores and maintained self-regulation towards the rest of the people in the house. It is a carrot at the end of a stick. The designated time helps because you don’t have people asking you all day when they can get on their screen and allows screen-free, exploration and outdoor play.

Set Consistent Rules (Psst! TV’s Are Screens, Too)

In our house, you can choose what you wanted to do for a screen. Some chose a television show; some chose a game. We always have a screen free day as well, where no screen time is allotted past learning time. Screen time is always in our family room, although multiple things can be going on at once (with headphones).

Screen time has been linked to behavior problems, attention disorders and hyperactivity. Screens stimulate a brain, limiting other brain functions. When your child is glued to a screen, they are not participating in activities that stimulate development, mental well-being and overall health. Often parents use screens as a babysitter or because the idea of arguing about screens is more than they want to take on. Setting rules and consistently following them helps you to maintain control over screen time without feeling like you are the police of screens.

Have a Discussion With Your Child

If you are currently not limiting screens but plan to start, the key to success is having a conversation with your child about how you feel about excessive screen time. Be sure you have other activities ready to fill in the void. This doesn’t mean you have to be your child’s cruise director of activities, but if your child has been playing online games for hours at a time, then rolling back without something to fill in that void can be difficult. Gaming and social media are addictive by design, and many parents feel a change in mood or behavior when they ask their children to end screen time.

Remember, the first few days of implementing the new policy, your child will likely have some symptoms or behaviors that may look like withdrawal. They have become somewhat addicted to getting the dopamine reward from checking their phones or playing the game. Just know that consistency helps you get through this time and that this new plan will eventually become the new normal.

Why You Should Set Screen Time Limits: 4 Ways Screens Affect the Brain