The Effects of Extensive Screen Time on Children and Special Education

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Assessment of Current Efforts
Proposal
Benefits of Change
Counterarguments
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Exposure to screen time is a norm in modern society. Whether it is the work necessity, education, or entertainment, people spend a lot of time behind computers, TV, and other screens. It is a well-known fact that human bodies are not designed for sedentary lifestyles. Yet, the use of electronics often presupposes spending a long time with minimal body movement. There are numerous consequences stemming from consistent screen time, which may result in damage to eyesight, back pains, muscle stiffness, and other health issues. Irrespective of age, all people face such risks in one way or another.

In a similar manner to adults, children are also exposed to computers. However, the danger to children may be greater due to the weaknesses of their growing organism. Not only are they physically more vulnerable, but they do not realize the full extent of potential problems associated with screen time. Childhood years are critical in the formation of personality. Excessive screen time has the potential to implant the wrong values and ideas into children’s minds, which will take root and backfire in the future. Understanding the risks of unlimited screen time to children is essential in ascertaining the aspects which should be changed.

Screen time refers to the amount of time that a user spends while utilizing a device with a visual display. This includes personal computers, TV sets, smartphones, and other gadgets using electronic transmission for the presentation of text, images, and videos. Combined together, the overall screen time is cumulative. All modern display technology is based on pixels, which create pressure on the eyes. It should be noted that almost any reading activity takes its toll on the eyes. Nevertheless, smartphone screens are much smaller in comparison to books. People who read books on smartphones make far less eye movement than readers of paper books. This leads to their eye muscles becoming stiff and tiring quickly.

Furthermore, the eyes have to adapt to the brightness of the screen. Numerous studies have pointed out the adversarial impact of blue light on the retina (Wong et al. 337). Naturally, the world is full of sources of blue light, and escaping it is not a viable option. However, electronic devices provide far more exposure to blue light than the cells in the retina can absorb without consequences. As has already been mentioned, modern education makes extensive use of screens. Combined with the natural sources and leisure time, children are constantly exposed to blue light, which strains their still developing cells.

The problem under focus is that extensive screen time harms children’s health and adversely affects their education. Health is jeopardized due to constant eye strain caused by screen exposure. Education repercussions stem from ever-present gadgets’ distractions. Finally, emphasis on virtual communication robs children of real-life socialization. At the same time, it is possible to use the potential of gadgets and computers to help children learn and be cautious about their health and future. Analyzing current methods of handling visual display-based electronics will showcase the most effective approach to limiting children’s screen time.

Assessment of Current Efforts

It should be no surprise that health problems related to screen time have raised many alarms. Subsequently, manufacturers have expanded the functionality of gadgets to include the measurement of body movement. Many popular smartwatches and activity trackers, such as Apple Watch, Mi Band, Amazfit, and others, provide basic health-related data. They can measure pulse, count steps, monitor sleep, and notify the user about the deficit of some activity. They are particularly useful during screen time, which absorbs attention so much that it is easy to forget about the lack of movement. Therefore, advances in the functionality of activity trackers represent an effort to solve the problem of screen time with software.

Another direction, which scientists recommend pursuing, is parental control. Attention to the offsprings’ activities should be given by default. However, the pandemic-induced quarantine measures have accentuated the importance of parental control.

Many children have to study at home, which means long hours of obligatory screen time every day. After the classes, children continue to use gadgets for leisure and entertainment. At this point, parents ought to step in and have their children engage in physical activity. Research indicates that familial rules are encouraged as a limiting factor (Eyimaya and Aylin 27). Therefore, greater parental control is another tendency to limit children’s screen time.

However, the chances are that even with the screen time rules and activity trackers, children will still get too much eye strain. Using protective equipment is the next step in the race for eye safety. For instance, the advance of the pandemic has caused a surge in the popularity of blue light glasses (Ganne 1). They have lenses which block the emission of blue light. All light emits electromagnetic radiation, which reaches the eye in the form of wavelengths. Blue light has short wavelengths, but they are high-energy, which allows them to penetrate into the back of the eyes. The structure of the lenses allows them to absorb, reflect and refract the wavelengths, thus, protecting the eyes of the user.

Proposal

The solution to the problem of children’s excessive exposure to screens is a conscious limitation. It is critical that children impose restrictions voluntarily. While parents could directly prohibit their offspring from the inappropriate use of computers, it will likely propel children to use them more often. Instead, the consequences of prolonged screen time should be made clear. As children are inherently emotional, they will perceive the dangers appropriately, provided they fully understand the risk. Therefore, the goal is to motivate children to limit screen time on their own.

The limitation should be accomplished in three ways. The first is acquainting children with technological solutions. Parents or teachers should point out the importance of using protective glasses and wearing activity trackers. Children should learn to use devices with appropriate equipment. Ideally, they will form a habit of putting on blue light glasses any time they use computers. Moreover, they should monitor their movement levels so that they would remember to get up and do some physical exercises when the wristband notifies them about the lack of movement.

The second way is using the power of habits to stimulate educational endeavors. As long as children associate computers with leisure, they will continue to distract themselves and multiply their screen time. Filling the children’s schedule with screen-free activities will allow their eyes to rest and their minds to focus on learning. The key is creating the stimulus to which they will react with the desire to do this activity. It would work in a similar manner to brushing teeth, which is so habitual that it takes minimal effort to do. Habits are a preferable solution because children are not able to amass the needed level of willpower to continue engaging in time-consuming activities in the long term.

Useful time-consuming activities, which contribute to intellectual development, include reading, solving puzzles, discussing yet unknown topics, and other challenging tasks. As much as people can derive pleasure from mindless actions, such as playing a simple game with no challenge, people can also get satisfaction from difficult accomplishments. The human mind needs to solve problems because it is also the source of pleasure hormones. Children’s development transpires in large part due to their growing ability to understand more complex ideas and solve more difficult problems. The more challenges a child faces, the more they will develop and grow. Therefore, it is essential that they view screen-free time as a source of pleasure and satisfaction.

Finally, families ought to implement rules regarding quality time. Screen time robs children of real-life communication. Without genuine non-virtual interactions, children do not socialize enough to become active members of society (Wang et al. 945). Parents should make time for talking with their children. For instance, dinners can be organized without any gadgets. Not only will the prohibition against bringing a smartphone to a dinner table create a break from screen time, but it will also force the members of the family to spend time with each other. When people communicate without any gadgets present, all interlocutors understand that they have each other’s full attention. Allowing children to be distracted by smartphones during such events defeats the purpose of quality time.

Benefits of Change

When people are in their childhood years, their brains are still in development. This is a critical time for acquiring decision-making skills. Intellectually taxing pursuits, such as reading, studying, and solving puzzles, are preferred. If a child does not get enough practice, they may become complacent and not capable of pushing their boundaries in the future. At the same time, screens are usually not challenging at all. Most of the information is already given, without the need to solve, think, or use imagination. This is why reading is so encouraged in education. A book forces the reader to visualize the characters, the setting, the outlay of rooms, the sound of voices, and the smells. All the while, movies, videos, and other linear visual content rob the consumer of such necessities.

When a person spends time in front of a screen, they usually do not make any intellectual effort. Most of the time, gadgets and computers provide entertainment and leisure. Such activities lead to the production of dopamine – a hormone responsible for feeling pleasure. It is dangerous because it is addictive. When a person is constantly exposed to dopamine-rich activities, they become more and more accustomed to them. Even for an adult person, it takes much effort and willpower to stop self-indulging behavior. The situation is worse with children, as they are not trained enough to recognize the excess.

Limiting screen time is a way to ameliorate the problem. First, it will relieve some pressure on the eyes. With less blue light being absorbed by the retina, there will be a lower risk of eye diseases and damage to eyesight. The eyes are part of incredibly vulnerable tissue, which should be protected from the early years. Most of the danger stems from the seemingly invisible source. Most of the time, people do not even realize that they are exposed to blue light. However, each day the eyes receive a large dosage of electromagnetic radiation. Beyond a certain point, the cells will no longer be able to sustain the pressure. Limiting screen time for children has the power to prevent eye diseases and eyesight problems.

Another benefit is physical activity, which is an essential component of health, especially in childhood years. The more the human body moves, the more intense internal processes will be. Blood flows through the entire body and transports essential substances to body cells. The lack of movement slows down blood circulation and can lead to such issues as increased blood pressure and high cholesterol. In the long-term perspective, it will create a greater risk of cardiovascular conditions, such as heart attack. Replacing screen time with physical activity or frequent alternation between them will help children preserve their cardiovascular system.

However, aside from health-related concerns, the most evident benefit is the rise of children’s self-consciousness in regard to screen time. Once children realize how many potential problems they create for themselves by spending so much time behind computers and smartphones, they will be motivated to learn more about the danger and the coping mechanisms. When people understand the risk, it is much easier to impose limitations. Children’s cooperation in establishing restrictions on on-screen time is vital to the success of preventive measures. It will also form a life-long habit of treating gadgets with caution.

Moreover, children’s development will transpire smoother and with more efficiency. Limiting screen time will free time for education and socialization. Whereas the virtual environment is limited by a set of predesigned choices and possibilities, screen-free activities propel children to operate in the full complexity of reality, forcing them to communicate and grow (Radesky and Dimitri 830). As a result, they will learn to solve problems without the help of electronics, thus, pushing their intellectual boundaries. Without any gadgets to rely on, children will be more prepared to handle life situations that are unexpected and not standard.

Ultimately, the beneficiaries of change include parents, teachers, and children themselves. Reducing screen time will result in parents spending time with their offspring more productively. Teachers will benefit because of children’s greater involvement in challenging activities in their free time, which will lead to better student progress. Children will break free of the detrimental habit of having screen time as the primary source of pleasure. Overall, children will become more aware and conscious and faceless health risks, all of which are critical for fulfilling adulthood.

Counterarguments

One possible objection may be that screen time does not necessarily imply leisure and entertainment. The advancement of the Internet has led to the digitalization of all kinds of written material. Today, many educational establishments extensively use online libraries to store books, articles, scientific journals, and other content, which is essential for student progress. This tendency means that the Internet will be utilized even more. Thus, children are supposed to be using the web to study and grow. Currently, the most efficient way to access information on the Internet is via screens. As a result, attempting to limit children’s screen time is a self-defeating endeavor as it is the necessity of modern society.

Indeed, living in the computerized world while being prohibited from using electronics is nearly impossible. However, the initial proposal was not to prohibit screen time entirely but rather to teach the children to consciously limit themselves. The Internet is a medium that will likely encompass everything. It is not harmful in itself. However, the web also contains content that provides many distractions. Removing limitations will tempt children into following their immediate whims, which are sated by screens. This is why restrictions should be introduced, but their implementation should be executed by children. Ultimately, a conscious limitation is far more effective than the obligatory one.

Another counterargument would be that screen time can be made safe for health with modern technology. First, modern screens support the resolution with a high refresh rate. As such, there is no flick on the monitor, which makes the pixels visible and causes a strain on the eyes. Furthermore, many screens, especially smartphones, have night modes or e-book modes, which entirely eliminate the perilous blue light. Finally, anti-reflective screen protectors can be installed to reduce glare, which also harms eyesight. If implemented properly, all these measures can make prolonged screen time safer, thus, compromising the proposal for limitation.

This would be a valid argument because it accentuates today’s inevitable reality. However, screens are not a problem in themselves. Even if there are ways to work with digitalized information with minimal damage to the eyes, they still have repercussions for health. Even the screen-free activities, such as reading a printed book and writing by hand, are still done with almost no body movement. Muscles grow stiff, blood circulation is obstructed, and numerous other health issues arise, which can have a detrimental effect on well-being. Subsequently, it does not matter whether a child spends time reading a book or studying on a computer – both activities have to be combined with physical exercises.

Conclusion

There are several reasons why screen time is especially perilous for children. First, childhood years are a period of habit-forming, in which children are vulnerable. The habits formed during these years will likely continue into adult life. In this case, it is likely that children will continue the habit of overusing computers and smartphones. The second problem is the easily damaged eyesight, which may be the cause of serious eye diseases in later life. Finally, children are more tempted to use gadgets for entertainment and games rather than for education. Combined together, these factors constitute the danger of screen time to children.

Not only will limiting screen time improve children’s learning endeavors, but it will also motivate them to adopt a proper long-term healthy mindset concerning gadgets and overall interaction with people. Possible objections include the technological solutions for eye safety and the futility of restrictions on gadget use because of the essential role of electronics in the modern world. However, the dangers of screen time are not limited to eyesight. This is why children should learn to limit themselves, as the implications of unrestricted screen time are too numerous to be handled by protective equipment alone.

In light of all the evidence for the damage screen time can have on children, it is important for parents to restructure the pastime of their offspring. Parental involvement is crucial in the upbringing of children. It is not possible to exclude visual display technology from everyday life, and neither should it be excluded. Unless parents start imposing limitations and explain to the children why the restrictions are necessary, screen time will remain a problem, which only exacerbates with time. Parents should not control every aspect of their children. Therefore, children should limit themselves and know why they are doing it.

Works Cited

Eyimaya, Aslihan Ozturk, and Aylin Yalçin Irmak. “Relationship between Parenting Practices and Children’s Screen Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey.” Journal of Pediatric Nursing, vol. 56, 2021, pp. 24-29.

Ganne, Pratyusha, et al. “Digital Eye Strain Epidemic amid COVID-19 Pandemic–A Cross-sectional Survey.” Ophthalmic Epidemiology, 2020, pp. 1-8.

Radesky, Jenny S., and Dimitri A. Christakis. “Increased Screen Time: Implications for Early Childhood Development and Behavior.” Pediatric Clinics, vol. 63, no. 5, 2016, pp. 827-839.

Wang, Guanghai, et al. “Mitigate the Effects of Home Confinement on Children during the COVID-19 Outbreak.” The Lancet, vol. 395, no. 10228, 2020, pp. 945-947.

Wong, Chee Wai, et al. “Digital Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Risk for a Further Myopia Boom?.” American Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 223, 2021, pp. 333-337.

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