Health Matters With TSET: Social Media & Screen Time

In today’s digital age, many adults and children find themselves glued to screens for hours every day.

The growing trend of excessive screen time raises important questions about its impact on cognitive development, particularly in children.

In today's Health Matters with TSET, News 9 Health Coach Dottie Small explains the risks people, especially kids, face whenever they pick up a device.

Emma Wassilak, a clinical director at Sunbeam Family Services, said that research indicates that excessive screen time can adversely affect children's language development, concentration, self-esteem and social connections.

“When we have screens, either TV or in particular with social media, where you have so much information happening so quickly, our ability to stay focused for long periods of time changes, and our dopamine receptors are kind of overloaded," Wassilak said.

She said that overexposure to screens can lead to behavioral issues as well.

“They become more irritable or even have some aggressive behaviors, and this could be because device time or screen time disrupts sleep,” Wassilak said. “It can impact our sight. It can make us more vulnerable to headaches. It can also lead to isolation.”

Wassilak offered practical advice to parents on how to address these issues.

“We have to walk the walk,” she said. “Adults are just as guilty of being on their devices. If we want to have moments of connection, meal times are a great time to say we're going to put devices down.”

She also recommends limiting screen use to one to two hours before bedtime to help protect your sleep.

For more information on how to win the screen time battle, click here.