Do you think screen time is bad for you?

West 6th grader Kyle Nguyen is on his phone after school.

Kayla Nguyen, Reporter
October 9, 2019

It’s 2019 and West kids are constantly on their phones or tablets. An average adult might spend up to 2 hours on their phone, but for West teens, it could be more. 

Parents are always wondering why their kids are obsessed with their phones/tablets. Teens can be on their phones constantly, and their parents don’t notice. Teens can spend a lot of time on their electronics which causes problems at school. Not only that, but many kids spend a lot of time on screen time because they feel lonely.

Spending too much time on your phone can cause an increase in anxiety and depression. Why? Because children and teens might begin to have less curiosity, lower self-control, and they can have less emotional stability. A new study was pulled from a National Survey of Children’s Health in 2016, they analyzed a random sample of more than 40,300 surveys from the caregivers of children aged 2 to 17 years old. The survey found that teens spend more than seven hours a day looking at their cell phone screens! 

Being on the screen all the time could make your health really bad. If we are on our screens, we are most likely to be sitting down. Sitting for large amounts of time can make you obese, which can lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and lots of other kinds of cancer. 

Ava Boccarossa, a seventh grade West student, said, “ I spend at least 45 minutes-1 hour a day [on my phone].” Ava also said, “I can handle only spending 45 min-1 hour a day because I like to read, play with my cats, play the piano, and drawing.” We also asked her if her parents care about what she watches on her phone, and she said, “Yes they do, but since I really don’t do much on my phone, they usually aren’t concerned.”

Do you spend too much time on your phone?