Screen Time Research Paper

The amount of screen time teenagers are using have been continuously raising at an an alarming rate. “A number of troubling studies connect delayed cognitive development in kids with extended exposure to electronic media” (Margalit 1). Although social media comforts people in time of need, people that are on social media more often than others have less gray matter and kids who spend more time on the internet have a harder time with emotions; therefore, parents should enforce the AAP's recommendation for screen time usage. Social media comforts people in time of need. “According to a new pilot study conducted by Dr. Alice Good of the University of Portsmouth, the vast majority of Facebook users use the social network to lift their spirits

“Thomas Robison, a professor at Stanford University, has conducted a series of studies showing that too much TV, video, and computer time contributes not only to obesity, but also to aggression. Apart from the content viewed, the process of being sedentary does not allow for the physical release necessary to dissipate anxieties and frustrations, resulting in anger and aggressive behaviors” (Lathbury 1). This shows too much screen time harms teenagers’ ability to handle emotions. Juana Summers in “Kids And Screen Time: What Does The Research Say?” clearly explains that kids that have excessive screen time have a harder time making a guess about other’s emotions and making an accurate guess is rare. Whereas the other group of sixth graders who had no screen time for five to six days were able to clearly explain other’s emotions with nearly perfect accuracy, if not perfect accuracy. She explains how that society's teens are living in the digital world with little face-to-face interaction. Patricia Greenfield, who conducted the study, was interviewed by Juana Summers and said, “A lot of school systems are rushing to put iPads into the hands of students individually, and I don't think they've thought about the [social] cost. This study should be, and we want it to be, a wake-up call to schools. They have to make sure their students are getting enough face-to-face social interaction.

For example, it kills the gray matter inside the brain which is the thinking part of the brain. Gray matter also processes information and sends it out to the neurons, without this part of the brain thinking would be limited. Another example, is that people who are on the internet more often than not have trouble with emotions. Not only do they have trouble dealing with them, but also reading other’s emotions. In summary, Although social media comforts people in time of need, people that are on social media more often than others have less gray matter and kids who spend more time on the internet have a harder time with emotions; therefore, parents should enforce the AAP's recommendation for screen time