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
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
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.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
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.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Florida deputies who fatally shot U.S. airman burst into wrong apartment, attorney says
Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man's family said Wednesday.
Air Canada ranks near bottom on customer satisfaction: survey
Air Canada ranks below most other major North American airlines on customer satisfaction, with airfares a particular sore point, according to a new survey.