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Chloe Frenzel

Professor Alsaadi

English 130

Topic/ Research Question: “Is it necessary to limit screen time and social media for a children

and teenagers health?”

Clark, J. L., Algoe, S. B., & Green, M. C. (2018). Social Network Sites and Well-Being: The

Role of Social Connection. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(1), 32–37.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417730833

In this article by Jenna Clark, Sarah Algoe, and Melanie Green, regarding the issues surrounding

how social networking can impact our well-being. They first tell us about how some people feel

like being involved in social networking can cause “isolation and social comparison” (Paragraph

1) On the other hand, there are people who think it is benefitting people for making social

connections. It is also then explained that in a study where computers were placed in homes of

people who were new to the internet and they end up finding that if you grow your internet

usage, it can lead to a drop in social circles and a higher likelihood of depression and loneliness.

Studies were also found showing the damages caused from it to your relationships and well-

being. They found later though in a later observation of the Homenet study that their negative

outcomes no longer accrued. This brings us into the thoughts said in the article about internet can

change with us as a society and individuals as we both grow. Internet usage has change from

social networking chats to social network sites in the recent years and has proven to change the

outcome you get out of internet usage. Their “interpersonal-connection-behaviors framework

“and what the writers from this source are supporting the idea of positive connections and usage
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will result in a more positive outcome from the internet, while using it for non-positive

connection building will result in a consequences. Studies showed that social comparison and

isolation are common negatives that happen while using social media cites. Connecting-

promoting and self-disclosure, however, can result in a positive outcome. The conclusion of the

authors is that using the internet can be more beneficial to your mental health if you are using is

you are using it in a connection promoting way but can also translate negatively if used in a non-

connection promoting way.

This article relates to my question: “Is it necessary to limit screen time and social media for a

children and teenagers health?” because it goes into detail about how poor internet use can result

negatively for your health and overall wellbeing. The article evaluates many different scenarios

of studies that showed a positive and negative outcome during internet usage. Spending too

much screen time scrolling through a social media app and comparing yourself to others may

result in negatives for your health shown in a study provided in the article about placing

computers in homes of new internet users and found an increase of internet use was linked to a

decline in social relationships and an increase in depression. On the other hand, spending a lot of

time on your phone making positive connections and practicing self-disclosure can result in a

positive impact, if you know your limits for your physical health and not isolating yourself. They

tell us about what apps and how we use them to increase your chances of getting a positive

outcome from it. Their entire argument is surrounded and supported by their studies given in the

article. The writers concluded with their interpersonal-connection-behaviors framework as a

theory that is supported by the studies shown in the article. They found through research that

when social networking is primarily connection building, it can create positive outcomes. Al

though it does not go into direct detail about children, it still relates to the health issues involved
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with screen time. Their final claim says that it is the responsibility of the network sites to educate

their audience on how to use it productively so they can receive positive connections.

Domingues-Montanari, Sophie. “Clinical and Psychological Effects of Excessive Screen Time

on Children.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 6 Feb. 2017,

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jpc.13462.

This article reflects the good and adverse effects on the physiological and psychological

development related to screen time usage. The author tells us the television is the most common

screen time activity that is consumed by children and has been shown to cause a negative

development for physical and cognitive abilities. She supports this with studies that evaluates

physical strength with TV watching which resulted in higher TV viewing could cause lower

strength. Another large issue in the world and shown in this article, is the link between obesity

and watching too much TV. They tell us that the studies revealed that TV screen viewing

combined with a poor diet can result in obesity. Based on studies shown, the author tells us that

TV viewing as a toddler and growing child can heighten your risk of many cognitive growth

issues. However, co-viewing a beneficial program with an adult at that age can cause positive

cognitive growth. In conclusion the author gives both sides to effects screen time on children and

offer recommendations based of the research.

This article relates to my research question “Is it necessary to limit screen time and social media

for a children and teenagers health?” in showing us how TV viewing can impact our health,

which is typically a separated version of screen time. An example of screen time affecting your

health is shown through a study being linking lower physical strength to a higher TV viewing.

Alongside lower strength affecting your, it can also lead to obesity. This is shown in the article
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through the link between a higher TV viewing and poor diet. Your cognitive health as a growing

child can result in a positive or negative outcome based on studies. “TV viewing was positively

correlated with changes in the frontopolar and medial prefrontal regions, the former of which

contributes to intellectual functioning.” “The potential cognitive benefits are believed to

originate from high-quality media contents” (Sec. 5). The author of this article concluded that

there is positives and negatives to screen time in children, depending on how you are utilizing it.

Henderson, R. by E. (2022, January 19). Social media use linked with worse physical health

indicators among college students. Retrieved February 16, 2022

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220118/Social-media-use-linked-with-worse-

physical-health-indicators-among-college-students.aspx

This article in Medical Research News by Emily Henderson highlights the affects that social

media has had in college students’ physical health. The article reflects on a study by Dr. David

Lee, that revealed social media was correlated with bad physical health indicators relating to

college students. The reason behind this was a higher levels of a biological marker associated

with chronic illnesses is a potential effect of social media. The article also states that the study

found social media was positively correlated with an increase in doctor visits. Another main

topic in the article is excessive amounts of social media usage can lower your sleep quality and

increase your stress levels. The author ends the article by citing a statement by Dr. Brenda K.,

that is important to further research linking social media and physical health.

This article gives us a physical health of college students perspective relating to my research

question “Is it necessary to limit screen time and social media for a children and teenagers

health?” According to the article, physical health was found to be negatively impacted in relation
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to social media. This can be shown in the quote, “Social media use was also related to

experiencing more frequent somatic symptoms. It also positively correlated with more visits to

the doctor or health centers for an illness.” (Paragraph 1). The negative effects for our physical

health due to social media related to my research question is shown while telling us it may

reduce users' amount and quality of sleep. Hyperconnectivity can also increase stress or even

displace health and exercise. After reflecting on the article, we can conclude that this article

gives us an idea of the larger picture surrounding physical health effects linked to social media

and tells us that it is a possibility to negatively affect a person’s physical health.

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022, February 10). Tips for setting screen time limits as a parent. Retrieved

February 16, 2022, from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-

20047952

This article created by staff at the Mayo Clinic, shares the modern-day issue of the balancing of

contrary forces when monitoring a child’s screen time. How do parents know what’s going to

best help benefit their child? The internet is often looked at as negative due to results that occur

while regulating the negative usage on the internet. The Mayo Clinic says that “too much screen

time and regular exposure to poor-quality programming” (Sec. 2) can lead to behavior issues,

attention problems, obesity, slower development in social skills, poor sleep schedules, and

violence. However, if the internet is used productively such as doing an activity with your child

on the device and apply it to real life, but they do not think it should replace reading or writing.

Mayo recommends avoiding screen time for children under 18-24 months, but children sages 2-5

should be limited to one hour a day. When it comes to older children, it advised to restrict some
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of the rules, however it’s important to set limits and boundaries. The article highlights that we

should use these statistics as a guiding point because everyone is different and not everything is

going to work the same for each family.

This article helps provide a medical expert advice on my question “Is it necessary to limit screen

time and social media for a children and teenagers health?” The Staff at Mayo clinic are telling

us why it is important for parents and guardians to set a screen time limit for their children. The

outcome, although can be practical when used to grow your social development. “By age 2,

children may benefit from some types of screen time, such as programming with music,

movement and stories.” (sec. 4), This quote relates to my question about a growing child’s

development correlated with screen time. This tells us that it is medically advised to monitor

your child’s screen time for best development. When it came to older children, they tell us it’s

more about how much screen time should be allowed. The article tells us from the research

question that screen time limits are necessary for children and should be also monitored closely

for bedtime. According to this article, the internet can be used in a practical purpose, but it is the

responsibility of parents to provide boundaries and rules with their children.

Walker, T. (2021, September 30). 'All that scrolling': How screen time impacts students.

Retrieved February 16, 2022, from

https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/all-scrolling-how-screen-time-

impacts-students

This article by Tim Walker who is a senior editor for NEA Today, gives us in site on the impacts

on students from screen time. The article tells us “Social media can be a magnet for social

pressure, anxiety and bullying.” and is also shown through internal findings and studies
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throughout the article. In a 2019 study by Common Sense Media, they found that kids ages 13-17

were found to average 7 hours and 22 minutes of screen time a day among many potential

devices. Another key point in this article is that the COVID-19 Pandemic has caused most

students screen time to increase substantially. Some surveys show that screen time can also cause

some children to be more prone to anxiety, stress, and depression. According to Dr. Pamela

Hurst-Della Pietra from Children and Screens, “Social comparison, the pressure, the fear of

missing out takes a hit on their self-esteem about their lives, their bodies, and their

relationships.” (Sec. 2) However, it is important to note that in the article another Common Sense

Media survey told us that many teenagers say that social media has a positive effect on how they

feel. Another topic to highlight is that school psychologist Carrie Suchy says that educational

screen time is less researched on even though it is very educational and interactive, although it’s

important to educate parents on excessive screen time. The author concludes that technology is a

great tool to utilize, but it should not overtake society, and instead create a healthy balance.

This article gives student perspective related information related to my research question “Is it

necessary to limit screen time and social media for a children and teenagers health?” The article

tells us that children and teenagers often do get negatively impacted by screen time. Guevarez

tells us many people don’t have the tools to prevent the potential downsides of too much screen

time. This relates to the question and explains to us that teenagers and youngers kids do not have

as much cognitive and behavior skills to prevent potential impacts resulted from screen time. On

the other hand, a psychiatrist in the article argues there concerns are an increase in depression

and anxiety and tells us that there is no solid evidence that social media can affect your mental

health, however she then says it’s important for parents to be aware of the negative effects

excessive screen time can present for a student’s child development. Relating to my research
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question, the author concludes there are a variety of benefits for educational growth using screen

time but, when it comes to our children’s physical and mental health it is important to not allow

excessive screen time.

Analysis/Conclusions:

It is found from these collective studies that the health effects created from social media and

screen time for the younger generations can be challenged positively or negatively. The positive

benefits could be making amazing connections and utilizing those to help improve your mental

health. People argue typically that internet usage is great for growing children because it can be

used educationally and so many other options. However, many people argue that excessive social

media use and screen time can result negatively for the younger generations mental and physical

health. It is clear from the sources that depression is linked often with social media with children

and young adults. The final main point from all the articles is that using social media and screen

time is inevitable for today’s society, and using it properly, knowing your limits, and educating

yourself can help create positive impacts for your well-being and health.