Screen time for students

As technology becomes more innovative, devices with even more gimmicks will attract and entice the attention of a wider audience. A term that has rose to prominence is “screen time” which is the amount of time a person spends in front of a screen such as televisions, computers, phones, video games, etc. Right after class, students often take out their phones and devote all their attention to them. “Usually, I am on my phone or computer for 3-4 hours a day,”  reported Matthew Li(9B). According to a survey of children in Shanghai, more than 20,000 three-year-old children from 16 districts have over two hours of daily screen time on average. Later, researchers in China revealed that too much Internet use can cause brain shrinkage among adolescents. Studies have also shown that using computers, smartphones, or tablets before bedtime can disrupt sleep quality. As phones become more of a distraction in school, many parents question as to whether banning phone usage in school is justified. As Mrs. Sharon Ma explained in her “How to succeed in this class (and high school)” assignment sheet, “electronics devices, including cell phones and electronic dictionaries, may be used in class for educational purposes only.” Sir Anthony Seldon, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham and former master of Wellington College, said on-screen time was a “very significant concern.” “Intelligent use of computers can enhance the life of teenagers, but overall they are spending vastly too much time online,” he stated. “Real people, real exercise, real environments, and above all, real relationships in the flesh are what young people need to develop into healthy adults. I’m extremely worried by the extensive and indiscriminate exposure of adolescents to computers. It should be a very significant concern.” (Knapton) According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, over the past five years, kids ranging from ages 8 to 18 have increased the amount of time they spend plugged into media by one hour a day, from 6 hours to upwards of 7 hours (Yu). Because of the evidence shown above, students at SMIC-I should reduce their on-screen time, and use electronics at school for educational purposes.

Feature image – Students use too much technologies these days.