Scribd
Upload
412 views3 pages

Screen Time's Impact on Kids' Learning

A study of over 4,500 children aged 8 to 11 found that excessive screen time negatively impacts memory, language, and cognitive abilities, with those spending more than two hours a day on screens performing worse on tests. The research suggests that children should limit recreational screen time to two hours daily, alongside adequate sleep and exercise, yet only a small percentage of kids meet these guidelines. The study highlights the need for further investigation into the long-term effects of screen time on children's cognitive development.

Uploaded by

kyhernandez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
412 views3 pages

Screen Time's Impact on Kids' Learning

A study of over 4,500 children aged 8 to 11 found that excessive screen time negatively impacts memory, language, and cognitive abilities, with those spending more than two hours a day on screens performing worse on tests. The research suggests that children should limit recreational screen time to two hours daily, alongside adequate sleep and exercise, yet only a small percentage of kids meet these guidelines. The study highlights the need for further investigation into the long-term effects of screen time on children's cognitive development.

Uploaded by

kyhernandez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

CASE Grade 7 Language Arts Do Not Reproduce

“Less Screen Time Linked to Better Memory,


Learning in Kids”
by Laura Sanders

1 Screens—on computers, smartphones, tablets and more—surround us more than ever. But it might be
best to look away. Nearly two out of three U.S. kids spend more than two hours a day looking at
screens, a new study finds. The kids who spend more time staring at screens perform worse on memory,
language, and thinking tests than do those who spend less time in front of a device. That’s the result of
a study of more than 4,500 kids 8- to 11 years old.

2 Time on devices has its pros and cons. Screen time before bed can make it harder to sleep. But some
time with devices also can improve a student’s mood. For this study, researchers wanted to find out how
much time kids were spending on screens—whether a smartphone, a television, an iPad, or a computer.
They also wanted to look at how much sleep and exercise these kids were getting. Finally, the scientists
wanted to gauge kids’ cognitive abilities. These are mental activities—such as solving puzzles,
remembering things, or learning something new.

3 The researchers used data gathered as part of a large, long-term study. Called the Adolescent Brain
Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, it surveyed more than 4,500 kids and their parents. The study
asked about screen time. It also asked about exercise and sleep and tested memory and learning.

4 So how much screen time is too much? The researchers went with guidelines from experts. These
recommend no more than two hours of recreational screen time a day. They also advise kids to get at
least an hour of exercise each day and between 9 and 11 hours of sleep at night.

5 If that prescription seems strict, it was. Only 5 in every 100 of the surveyed children met all three
guidelines. In fact, 29 in every 100 didn’t meet any of the guidelines. So, they were “getting less than
nine hours of sleep, they’re on their screens for longer than two hours, and they’re not being physically
active,” notes Jeremy Walsh. He’s an exercise physiologist—someone who studies how bodies work
during exercise. He works at the University of British Columbia in Okanagan.

Lots of screens, not so much sleep

6 On average, children in this study spent 3.6 hours a day using screens for video games, videos and other
fun. They also exercised an hour or more fewer than four days a week. At least they slept an average of
9.1 hours a night.

7 Less screen time was linked with better cognitive scores. Children who spent fewer than two hours on
screens scored about four percent higher on thinking-related tests than did kids who spent more time on
their screens. Kids who met the recommendations for both screen time and sleep also got better scores
on their thinking tests. When analyzed on their own, sleep and physical activity didn’t seem to influence
test results. It was screen time that really made a difference.

8 “This raises a flag,” Walsh says. The new data adds to concerns that heavy use of smartphones, tablets
or televisions can hurt growing minds. Walsh and his colleagues published their findings online
September 26 in Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

9 Because the study only asked people about their habits once, it only captures a single snapshot in time.
That means that Walsh and his colleagues can’t tell if the amount of screen time kids get actually
changes brain development. But, Walsh adds, “Without [knowing] what kids are actually doing with their
Page 1 Go to the next page
CASE Grade 7 Language Arts Do Not Reproduce

screens, we’re seeing that the two-hour mark actually seems to be a good recommendation for
benefiting cognition.”

10 The study can’t say whether screen time actually hurt thinking skills. Kids who spend lots of time with
devices might miss out on other activities that improve their memory or problem-solving skills. “You don’t
know which is the chicken and which is the egg here,” cautions Michael Rich. He is a pediatrician. That’s
a doctor who focuses on children. Rich works at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts. It could be
that smarter kids are less likely to spend lots of time on screens, he says. If true, they would get better
test scores—but it wouldn’t be because they used devices less.

11 Simple cause-and-effect relationships don’t often exist in human behavior, Rich says. Instead of broad
rules for all kids, “we need to tailor what we learn from science to individual children.”

12 But by looking at screen, sleep, and exercise behaviors in combination, the results offer a fuller look at
children’s health. That’s a peek that’s sorely needed, says Eduardo Esteban Bustamante. He’s a
kinesiologist—someone who studies how bodies move. He works at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
“We don’t know a lot yet about how these behaviors interact with one another to influence kids’ cognitive
development,” he says.

13 The ABCD Study will keep collecting data from these families for another 10 years. This means scientists
may be able to learn more about how screen time affects kids through their teen years and beyond. “I’m
really excited to see where this line of research goes,” Bustamante says.

“Less Screen Time Linked to Better Memory, Learning in Kids” by Laura Sanders, Science News for Students, November 2, 2018. Used with permission.

Page 2 Go to the next page


CASE Grade 7 Language Arts Do Not Reproduce

Performance Task
You have read the text “Less Screen Time Linked to Better Memory, Learning in Kids.” In your
opinion, does screen time have a negative impact on kids’ overall physical, mental, and emotional
health? Write an argumentative essay that supports your claim with clear reasons and relevant
evidence. Provide details from the text to support your response.

Your writing will be scored based on the development of ideas, organization of writing, and
language conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Page 3

Common questions

Powered by AI

Children who spend less time on screens, specifically fewer than two hours per day, tend to perform better on memory, language, and thinking tests. The study conducted found that children who adhered to less than two hours of screen time scored approximately four percent higher on cognitive tests compared to those who exceeded this threshold .

Screen time was identified as the most significant factor influencing cognitive scores, as opposed to exercise and sleep when analyzed independently. Children that kept within the recommended screen time showed improvement in cognitive abilities .

Considering screen time, sleep, and exercise together provides a fuller picture of children’s overall health, which is crucial in understanding how these behaviors interact and affect cognitive development. This comprehensive view is essential since individual factors alone may not provide a complete understanding of children's developmental needs .

Screen time before bed can negatively affect sleep quality, making it harder to fall asleep. However, screen time also shows benefits, such as improving mood in children, suggesting a nuanced impact that varies based on duration and timing .

Tailoring screen time recommendations to individual children could be more effective because simple cause-and-effect scenarios do not generally exist in human behavior. Understanding the unique needs and contexts of each child can lead to better health and developmental outcomes .

Establishing a definitive causal relationship is challenging because the study only provides a snapshot in time without detailing long-term impacts. Additionally, it is difficult to determine if reduced screen time directly affects cognitive skills or if inherently smarter children tend to spend less time on screens and therefore perform better in tests .

The findings raise concerns that excessive screen time could potentially harm growing minds. The study suggests the need for cautious screen exposure due to potential negative impacts on learning and cognitive function, emphasizing the importance of adhering to recommended screen time limits .

This statement implies uncertainty in determining whether excessive screen time leads to poorer cognitive functioning or if children with lower cognitive function naturally engage in more screen time. It emphasizes that correlation does not imply causation, and more research is needed to understand these complex relationships .

Researchers hope to gain further insights over the next decade into how varying amounts of screen time affect children's cognitive development, particularly as they continue through their teenage years into adulthood .

The recommended guidelines advise no more than two hours of recreational screen time per day, at least an hour of exercise daily, and between 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night. However, only 5% of the surveyed children met all three guidelines, while 29% did not meet any .

You might also like