Essay Sample on The Effects of Excessive Online Usage

According to the CDC website and the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids ages 8-18 now spend on average 7.5 hours in front of a screen for entertainment each day, 4.5 hours of which are spent watching TV. Over a year, that adds up to 114 full days watching a screen for fun. A statistic like this is a perfect example of why parents should have screen time and social media limits for young kids. Increased online usage is linked to anxiety, depression and aggression. However, children's brains can be molded at a young age and this can be a good thing because they can adapt to different circumstances. 

To begin, the online article Children’s Screen Time Has Soared in the Pandemic, Alarming Parents and Researchers by Matt Richtel, states that “Dr. Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute says increased online use is associated with anxiety, depression, obesity and aggression — and addiction to the medium itself.” This shows that a screen time limit should be placed on kids. Another example from this article is ¨children spent, on average, 97 minutes a day on YouTube in March and April, up from 57 minutes in February, and nearly double the use a year prior.” This is a prime example of why children should be limited to a certain amount of screen time everyday. More evidence from the article Less screen time linked to better memory, learning in kids written by Lauren Sanders states ¨Kids who met the recommendations for both screen time and sleep also got better scores on their thinking tests.¨ This is more evidence on why children should have a controlled amount of screen time.

Furthermore, from the article Social media: What’s not to like? By Alison Pearce Stephens, she states that ¨your online interactions may be quite positive. Or not. Social media can make some teens feel depressed and isolated. They can feel cut out of social interactions. This is another example of why there should be a limit on screen time but also social media. Another example that supports the idea of a screen time limit is from Less screen time linked to better memory, learning in kids written by Lauren Sanders, the article states ¨No more than two hours of recreational screen time a day. Researchers also advise kids to get at least an hour of exercise each day and between nine and 11 hours of sleep at night.¨ This is another solid example of why parents should be placing a limit on how much their children are looking at screens a day.

Scientists say that children’s brains are like plastic and are shapeable and can adapt to different situations and circumstances. “Scientists say that children’s brains, well through adolescence, are considered “plastic” meaning they can adapt and shift to changing circumstances. That could help younger people again find satisfaction in an offline world but it becomes harder the longer they immerse in rapid-fire digital stimulation.” This piece of evidence was also from Children’s Screen Time Has Soared in the Pandemic, Alarming Parents and Researchers by Matt Richtel. Evidence like this sheds light on the other side of the argument and makes it reasonable.

Although children's brains can adapt to different circumstances with technology, but increased online activity could be associated with obesity, depression, aggression, and anxiety. Another example includes how social media can make teens feel depressed and isolated. These are excellent examples of why parents should put a screen time limit on children.