Relinquishing Anxiety Over Screen Usage Among Parents
Earlier this year, a NYU social psychologist published a renowned book on the supposed risks of smartphones and social media for children under a certain age. Despite this, others argue that screen time isn't inherently harmful, as long as it's controlled.
The focus of recent study by Dr. Nathan Walter, an associate professor of media psychology at Northwestern University, and his co-researchers, is the guilt parents feel over allowing their kids to spend too much time on screens. Their research was published in the journal Media Psychology earlier this year.
Parents who feel guilty about their kids' screen usage tend to be more stressed out and have less fulfilling relationships with their children, according to the findings.
Interestingly, some studies show correlations between screen usage and negative effects, but not causation. This implies that other factors could be responsible for these associations, such as, for instance, socioeconomic status.
CNN interviewed Walter regarding his research, how parents can alter their thinking about children's screen usage, and the impact of screen-time guilt on the family dynamic.
This interview was slightly edited and condensed for clarity
CNN: Given the push for less screen time, what led you to explore the concept of parental guilt?
Dr. Nathan Walter: I have two children, and when my eldest was born, we abided by all the recommendations, keeping screen time to a minimum until a certain age. As she grew older, around 2, we would sit with her and explain and mediate everything.
When my youngest was born a few years later, we were busier and more tired. He spent more time in front of screens, particularly in his early years. I felt immense guilt – like I was failing as a parent. This guilt also made me feel like a hypocrite, as I was teaching media effects to students who were 18, 19, and 20 years old, and presenting to them about the negative effects of screen use. My co-researchers experienced similar feelings.
As professionals who study emotions, we were curious about the role guilt plays in the negative effects of screen time. We found that most of the evidence surrounding screen use is correlational – just associations with potential problems like obesity and lower academic performance. It's hard to ascertain whether screen use actually causes these issues. Furthermore, it's possible that a third factor like socioeconomic status could be involved.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we had a chance to study the effects of screen time and see how emotions might play a larger role.
CNN: As you delved deeper into the impact of screen time on children, what did you discover?
Walter: Associations don't allow researchers to draw causal conclusions. Furthermore, the perfect study doesn't exist. If you want to selectively find evidence, the literature is so vast that you can find whatever you want to justify your beliefs. This is why meta-analyses offer the greatest value in terms of evidence.
A recent meta-analysis examined the relationship between screen time and depression, which is one of the main concerns surrounding screen time. Despite looking at 18 cohort studies with over 240,000 participants, they found no meaningful relationship between screen time and depression.
Another meta-analysis looked at the relationship between screen time and executive functioning skills. This study involved 7,000 kids and found absolutely no relationship between cognitive problems and screen use.
Every time we delved into the subject, we found correlations but not causation. Recent meta-analyses with over 100,000 participants looked at academic performance and found no relationship between screen time and academic performance across numerous studies. While isolating video games among certain ages reveals a negative association with academic performance, this pertains to older children, not the young ones typically associated with screen use. This suggests that the issue might be more complex.
CNN: What do you believe is happening?
Walter: There's nothing inherently harmful about screen time, but just as any other media, it displaces other activities. So, when you spend time with your screen, you're not interacting with others or engaging in activities that might foster strong relationships or physical play.
This displacement is the primary cause of many of the negative effects that are observed. This highlights the importance of looking beyond the replacement of these activities, to also consider emotional factors. For instance, the strong societal stigma around screen use can lead to feelings of guilt, and this emotional trade-off needs to be considered.
CNN: Dr. Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at NYU, recently published a book advocating for children to avoid phones completely until the age of 13. How do you square your findings with those recommendations?
In response to this question from CNN, my paraphrased answer would focus on the need to consider the trade-offs between screen time and other activities, as well as emotional factors like guilt, when evaluating the impact of screen time on children. The original findings, based on a series of meta-analyses, suggest that while there may be correlations between screen time and negative outcomes, these associations could just as well be due to other factors like socioeconomic status. The provided meta-analyses reveal no significant relationship between screen time and academic performance, depression, or executive functioning skills for various age groups and screen types. Additionally, it is noted that the negative effects of screen time might be primarily due to the displacement of other activities rather than some inherent harm in screen time itself. My response suggests approaching screen time management from a wider perspective that includes considering emotional factors to make the best decisions for children's well-being.
User: Some displays might affect certain youngsters sometimes. It's true that if you intend to separate particular groups, particular media, and specific content, you can definitely spot those effects. However, considering screen utilization occurs within a specific environment, emotional effects should also be considered crucial.
I don't wish to foster an environment where screen use for kids is seen as perpetually bad and negative. I dislike treating the issue of screen use as an impossible binary, i.e., acceptable or unacceptable. I'm merely advocating for a hint of complexity in our discussions regarding negative connections to screens.
Our conclusions don’t really contradict what (Dr. Haidt) stated. Our conclusions are more about the definitiveness with which concerns are expressed and the impression that it creates in the public about screens. What we spotted in our investigation is that screen time almost has no impact on parent-child relationship satisfaction, which is connected to wellbeing and other significant factors. Yet parents still suffer guilt when their kids use screens.
CNN: How can parents escape this guilt? How can parents see screen time for their children from a different angle?
User: It's essential to recognize that all those meta-analyses I mentioned earlier reveal minimal effects for thresholds. Hence, time limits (with screens) are not significant. Each family will have its unique threshold. In our survey—and again, given the context of Covid—data showed we were all essentially bonded to our screens, youngsters included. The average usage we observed daily was approximately four hours.
Was that (usage) positive? Was that negative? That wasn't the study's main focus. The study focused on parent-child relationship satisfaction. We didn’t observe screens affecting that. Despite living in a world where, as a parent, you feel like screens are evil, and you are a poor parent if your children use screens—that can burden you.
If you're a parent and you're feeling guilty, try to educate yourself more about screens and their effects. Attempt to read balanced and transparent reviews that say, ‘Much remains unknown,’ and, ‘Uncertainty prevails in this topic. Although you can pick and choose a study or several studies to substantiate whatever you want—for or against screen use—when you look at the entirety of the research, there are too many questions. To see screens as inherently negative is not precisely accurate.
CNN: What's the long-term impact of parents feeling guilty about screen time?
User: We embarked on this study presuming that increased screen use by youngsters would increase the amount of guilt felt by parents, and that, subsequently, it would negatively impact the parent-child relationship. But what we discovered again and again is that the amount of screen time in terms of hours has minimal influence on guilt. It's almost like guilt is unrelated to the actual number of hours. As parents, we simply feel guilty.
CNN: What's the solution here? How can parents handle this guilt?
User: The solution isn't so much about how much screen you should or shouldn't permit your children, but rather how we should discuss screen time. Let's not demonize kids who employ screens. Let's not demonize parents who let their children use screens.
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Despite the ongoing debates about screen time and its potential risks, a meta-analysis found no meaningful relationship between screen time and depression in children. Moreover, parents who feel guilty about their children's screen usage may be more likely to experience stress and less fulfilling relationships with their children, as highlighted in recent research. To alleviate this guilt, parents can educate themselves about screens and their effects, striving for balance and a nuanced understanding of their role in children's wellness.
