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Essential question
What are the negative effects of too much time spent looking at screens?Teenagers love their cellphones, but many parents worry their children spend so much time interacting with screens that they begin to ignore the real world. In her new documentary, “Screenagers,” Dr. Delaney Ruston investigates the chemical and social motivations teens have for spending so much time on their phones and other devices and what the long term effects might be. A mother herself, Ruston found it difficult to control the amount of time her own children spent playing video games and on social media. While researching the topic, she found similarities between the brains of young people who spend significant time on devices and people addicted to drugs and alcohol. Human brains are wired to seek out new, stimulating information. The games and media available through electronics cause dopamine secretion in the brain’s pleasure centers, especially for young people. A recent report by Common Sense Media found that half of teenagers admit to feeling addicted to their electronic devices, while sixty percent of parents feel their children are addicted. In the film, Ruston suggests ways parents can set limits in ways that avoid constant fights with teens, such as no phones in the car or at bedtime. “This is all about teaching kids self-control, and what we have learned through the research is that it’s absolutely teachable,” Ruston said.
Key terms
dopamine
— a neurotransmitter, one of the chemicals that transmits signals in between the nerve cells, or neurons, of the brain
Warm up questions ( before watching the video)
- At what age do you think children should get a smartphone?
- Do you think you spend too much time on your smartphone? What about your computer?
- How do you think your brain is affected by screen time?
Critical thinking questions ( after watching the video)
- What do you think the rules should be around screen time for teenagers?
- Do you think it’s possible to become addicted to your cellphone or other electronic devices? Explain.
- This story raised concerns about kids spending too much screen time on their phones, but do you also know adults who spend too much time on their phones?
