Screen Free Harms – Rob Archer Psychology

evidence

Unrestricted smartphone use is harming our children's...

57% more teens were sleep deprived in 2015 than in 1991
When they should be sleeping 80% of teens are using smartphones
Smartphone usage is contributing to obesity in children
Children’s myopia risk (shortsightedness) is linked to smartphone use
Habitual use of smartphones causes musculoskeletal problems
Paediatricians, chiropractors and physiotherapists are warning of “text neck syndrome”

Smartphones reduce memory and recall accuracy, even when not in use
46% of teens say they use their phones “almost constantly”
MRI scans of young children shows screen time reduces the size of the brain areas responsible for visual processing, empathy, attention, complex memory and early reading skills
Children who spend 5-7 hrs/day on a digital device are 49 points (equivalent of two school years) behind children who are on a screen <1hr/day

Children with smartphones spend longer in a virtual world without human interaction
The quality of family relationships and friendships decreases for every year younger a child is given a smartphone
The daily average of 5-9 hours adds up to 1,000 to 2,000 hours a year that would otherwise be spent in face-to-face social interactions, learning and mastering these important skills and building strong relationships

80% of teenage girls are being put under pressure to provide sexual images of themselves
90% of girls and 50% of boys say they and their peers are sent explicit pictures or videos of things they do not want to see
51% of 11 to 13 year olds say they have seen pornography online
36% of children aged 8-17 said they had seen something ‘worrying or nasty’ online in the past 12 months

evidence

57% more teens were sleep deprived in 2015 than in 1991
When they should be sleeping 80% of teens are using smartphones
Smartphone usage is contributing to obesity in children
Children’s myopia risk (shortsightedness) is linked to smartphone use
Habitual use of smartphones causes musculoskeletal problems
Paediatricians, chiropractors and physiotherapists are warning of “text neck syndrome”

Smartphones reduce memory and recall accuracy, even when not in use
46% of teens say they use their phones “almost constantly”
MRI scans of young children shows screen time reduces the size of the brain areas responsible for visual processing, empathy, attention, complex memory and early reading skills
Children who spend 5-7 hrs/day on a digital device are 49 points (equivalent of two school years) behind children who are on a screen <1hr/day

Children with smartphones spend longer in a virtual world without human interaction
The quality of family relationships and friendships decreases for every year younger a child is given a smartphone
The daily average of 5-9 hours adds up to 1,000 to 2,000 hours a year that would otherwise be spent in face-to-face social interactions, learning and mastering these important skills and building strong relationships

80% of teenage girls are being put under pressure to provide sexual images of themselves
90% of girls and 50% of boys say they and their peers are sent explicit pictures or videos of things they do not want to see
51% of 11 to 13 year olds say they have seen pornography online
36% of children aged 8-17 said they had seen something ‘worrying or nasty’ online in the past 12 months