Montreal teens more digitally dependent during pandemic, but many are bored of staring at screens
A new study from Montreal public health found screen time has surged among adolescents during the pandemic. Seventy per cent of teenagers said they’re staring at their phones, scrolling through social media or playing video games more often.
"It's a high figure," said Jean-Francois Biron, a researcher with public health group the Direction régionale de santé publique. "Their well-being was affected."
Biron and his team surveyed 725 Montrealers between the ages of 13 and 17 from April to May 2021.
According to the study, 27 per cent of adolescents spend five hours or more in front of a screen. The number jumps to 44 per cent on the weekends. That time doesn't include school work.
While technology helped teenagers stay connected during shutdowns and school closures, all that scrolling also had negative consequences.
"The study shows spending an intense amount of time on screen affects the mental health of adolescents," said Biron.
Forty-five per cent of teenagers surveyed had trouble sleeping, while another 37 per cent said their performance at school took a hit.
It's a love-hate relationship when it comes to teenagers and technology. More than a third are bored of constantly staring at screens.
But kicking the digital dependence might be difficult. Even though restrictions are lifted, University of Montreal psychology professor Linda Pagani said teenagers have become even more accustomed to excessive screen time.
"There's a thirst for interaction (among teenagers) that is unparalleled in any other developmental period. But what happens with confinement is you develop these new habits and then when confinement ends, you’ve (still) got this habit going on," said Pagani, who specializes in behavioural development among children.
Her advice to parents is to encourage their children to get active and find work.
"The most wonderful intervention right now is to get your kids a part-time job," she said. "It increases their socialization. They develop a motivation to succeed at something."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Construction begins on LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa
Shovels have hit the ground for constuction on Canada's LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa.
B.C. man awarded $5,000 in damages in first-of-it-kind intimate image case
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.