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
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
B.C. wildfires likely to spread with weekend temperatures expected to soar, province says
Wildfire and emergency management officials in British Columbia are urging residents to be prepared for increased fire activity as temperatures are expected to soar above 30 C in parts of the province this weekend.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.