Check It Out: How does screen time affect kids?

By Joan Janzen

A grandparent handed her grandson a book and explained, “It’s called reading. It’s how people install new software into their brain.”

Reading hard-copy books has become much more uncommon compared to spending time looking at a screen. I listened to a psychologist explain how screen time affects children and young adults.

In a recent interview, Dr. Phil McGraw of television fame said, “Parents need to understand they’re not raising children; they’re raising adults. When you look at your 5-year-old, everything your child will ever need, they are becoming.”

Allie Beth Stuckey interviewed psychologist Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, who has written two books about social media and mental wellness. He specializes in digital media and how it impacts mental health. “I keep emphasizing to parents: delay, delay, delay. Delay exposure to devices,” he stressed and went on to explain why.

Dr. Kardaras said the prefrontal cortex of a young person gets compromised developmentally the more they’re on a screen, and it actually begins to shrink in the same way as it would in someone with a chronic substance addiction.

The prefrontal cortex, behind the forehead, is where dense grey matter (DGM) is located. It’s where our critical thinking and decision-making originate, allowing us to foresee the consequences of our actions. The prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until age 25.

Dr. Kardaras said screen time not only shrinks DGM but also attacks the Myelin sheath, allowing our brains to communicate and function. He has first-hand knowledge of the long-term impact as he treats individuals 17 years and older who have tech addiction and social media issues.

“We’re seeing people who can only see things in black and white and have a hard time discerning things. They’re emotional, reactive, nuclear bombs who need safe spaces,” he said. “There’s this fragility in young people; it’s socially media-driven fragility.”

He compared the effect of television on children to digital screen time. From ages 2-6, the brain is developing the ability to focus and pay attention. He said research from the 1990s showed for every three hours of television, a child would have a 30% chance of having Attention Deficit / Hyperactivitiy Disorder (ADHD). That percentage increases exponentially with the use of digital screens.

“As a researcher working with young people, it’s (ADHD) is happening more; we’re not just diagnosing it more,” he observed. “Kids are overstimulated and always need stimulation.”

As a psychologist, he sees firsthand the long-term consequences of toddler to adult screen time. He said the result is blurred kids who can’t function and spew venom instead of engaging in rational discourse.

“We’ve created addicted people who can’t manage without their devices,” he said. Because younger people don’t have a core sense of identity, they are more vulnerable to the brainwashing that takes place on social media, he noted.

The concept of social contagion is not new. It’s defined as behaviour that spreads via social means; smoking is an example of social contagion. However, the impact of social media influencers with millions of followers is far more extensive than face-to-face social pressures we experienced in the past.

Decades ago, social media promised to be an amazing tool used to connect people. However, that connection proved to be a counterfeit, robbing people of face-to-face interaction, causing people to become isolated while staring at their screens. “We’re seeing kids who can’t leave the house,” he observed.

Unfortunately, algorithms send content that essentially attacks the vulnerabilities of adolescents, such as body image issues. As a result, Dr. Kardaras said they’re seeing huge spikes in anxiety, depression, personality disorders and gender dysphoria.

“Gender dysphoria is real but is extremely rare,” he said. “Now we’re seeing a 4000 percent spike in late-onset gender dysphoria female to male. There’s no explanation other than social media.”

Dr. Kardaras described part of the process used to treat people who come to him with gender dysphoria diagnoses. “We have two months with no phones, no media. By the end of two months, it has gone away. If you have the real thing, it doesn’t get cured in 2 months.”

Considering everything he’s shared, the doctor’s advice to “delay, delay, delay” seems to make sense. He continued to explain that not only is a child’s prefrontal cortex developing, but also their sense of identity.

“Your kids will get a little more immunized the older they get as their sense of identity develops,” he assured. “We (adults) are still susceptible, but less so than children.”

It serves as a reminder to all of us to set aside our devices and enjoy face-to-face interaction. There’s no threat of addiction involved with community interaction, and it strengthens our sense of identity and mental well-being.