New CDC report shows potential risks for teenagers and screen time

Oct 30, 2024, 6:38 PM | Updated: 6:43 pm

SALT LAKE CITY — A new report is raising concerns about kids and technology. A study just released by the CDC is linking increased screen time for teenagers to issues with their mental health.

Managing kids and their screen time, for some Utah parents, can feel like an endless battle.

“It’s hard, because that’s what they want to do,” Christy Henrie, a parent, said.

“We try to limit it at our house and sometimes it goes well and sometimes it doesn’t,” Jaclyn Wood, a parent, said.

“It’s kind of been a work in progress in learning, okay, maybe we do need to have some kind of app limits and restrictive behaviors. And having them plug their phones in at night,” Sarah Wright, a parent, said.

A new report from the CDC found that about one half of teenagers ages 12-17 reported being on screens at least four hours or more per day. More than 90% of teens were on screens at least two hours per day. Of those who spent at least four hours, 25% also reported feelings of anxiety or depression symptoms within the last two weeks — something pediatricians with the Utah chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics said they see too.

“A lot of people on social media present this rosy, lovely picture of life and of themselves and the kids look at, ‘that’s not me I don’t have all that stuff.’ They’re more isolated, more by themselves, even in groups because they’re hanging out on a screen, and so they feel more alone,” Ellie Brownstein, MD pediatrician with the Utah chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said.

So, what do parents find works to limit their children’s screen time?

“We do have restrictions on our kids’ phones,” Henrie said. “When their time limit runs out they do have to request more time.”

“It’s regularly checking in and also talking to them about why there’s limits, and why need to limit it,” Wright said.

“My son is probably, I mean he’s one of the only ones who doesn’t have a phone,” Wood said.

These are just some of the things that work for these parents. That doesn’t always mean it solves the problem. Pediatricians who talked with KSL TV Wednesday also recommend talking to your kids, spending time with your kids, and making sure if they are having issues with anxiety or depression that they know they can come to you for support.

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New CDC report shows potential risks for teenagers and screen time