Educators, mental health experts sound alarm about time youth spend on their screens
Educators and mental health experts are sounding the alarm about too much time spent in front of cell phone screens.
It's been a month since the Quebec government banned cell phones in classrooms. While it's too early to see if the ban is working, Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says it's time to take a look beyond just the classroom as studies increasingly show there's a parallel between screen time and mental health.
"The issues are global and a lot of democracies are asking themselves how do we protect the health of our kids. Interesting answers will come from around the world," Plamondon said in Quebec City.
He's not alone in thinking this way. Jean-Francois Harvey is a sports medicine expert who co-authored a book with renowned Quebec outdoors sports promoter Pierre Lavoie, called Faut que ça Bouge.
"85 per cent of the time, [for] a teenager, now is spent on screens, so there's less time spent on important things like social relationships, like physical activities, less time sleeping," Harvey told CTV News.
Researchers have already linked the increase in obesity to time spent playing video games or using their cell phones and tablets. And too much screen time can also affect their mental health.
"There are studies that show that for kids who are in elementary schools if they spend three hours in front of a screen versus one hour on the screen, there will be a 30 per cent more chance to have depression. And if you go five hours and above, it's 71 per cent more likely to have a depression," said Dr. Perry Adler, a professor of psychology at McGill University's Department of Family Medicine.
The biggest culprit, says Adler, who also specializes in childhood depression, is social media.
"People engage in what's called upper-comparison where they see curated images of what reality really is. What catches eyeballs is people seeing interesting things that as a result the observers says, 'Wow, I'm not as interesting, talented or pretty or smarter as these people,' and they consequently feeling diminished," Adler said.
In some cases, young people glued to their screens might not be able to develop the social skills needed when they move into adulthood. According to Stephane Villeneuve, who teaches at the faculty of education at the Univesité du Québec à Montreal, the lack of interpersonal contacts can place young adults in awkward situations if they haven't spent enough time interacting with real people face-to-face.
"When they interact with people, it gets really complicated, and it's harder for them to communicate adequately," Villeneuve said.
Most experts agree that parents have to set strict rules and an example.
Harvey says a good start is for parents to put down their own devices and turn off their home Wi-Fi during family time, at the dinner table, or even past a specific time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.