Melinda Wenner Moyer

CNA – Children in America are spending more time than ever using screens and social media, with the number of hours spent online having risen sharply during the pandemic, according to results from a survey released on Wednesday.

The survey, published by the non-profit research organisation Common Sense Media, found that overall screen use among teens and tweens increased by 17 per cent from 2019 to 2021 – growing more rapidly than in the four years prior. On average, daily screen use went up among tweens (ages eight to 12) to five hours and 33 minutes from four hours and 44 minutes, and to eight hours and 39 minutes from seven hours and 22 minutes for teens (ages 13 to 18).

The increases reported by the survey are most likely a reflection of the difficulties that families endured with school, childcare and social interaction throughout the pandemic, experts said.

Of particular concern to some who track screen time is an upswing in social media use among children ages eight to 12, on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, even though such platforms require users to be at least 13 because of a law that prohibits companies from collecting data from children.

The findings “don’t surprise me”, said Diana Graber, the founder of Cyberwise, a website for adults who want to help young people use technology safely, and the author of Raising Humans in a Digital World.

During the pandemic, she said, children turned to screens for entertainment and to connect with friends, since many didn’t have in-person school or activities.

But, she added, “the huge number of children using social when they’re so young – it makes me want to cry”, she said. “These social media apps are not designed for children.”

WHAT THESE CHANGES MEAN

Although technology use increased across the board, screen use was highest among children from low-income families as well as children of colour, which makes sense given that these families were affected most by the pandemic, said Devorah Heitner, the founder of Raising Digital Natives and the author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World.

“Low-income children were hit harder by school closures,” Dr Heitner said, and may have had fewer after-school activities during the pandemic, too, and so they were home and had more time for screens. Because low-wage workers were also more likely than other workers to be required to work in person, parents in these families might have been home less, which meant that “their children were left more to their own devices, so to speak”, Graber added.

The report also found that boys spent more time on screens than girls did, perhaps because of their affinity for gaming, Graber said, which can be time intensive.

Experts said that the increase in screen use wasn’t necessarily a cause for concern in and of itself. For instance, when children used screens to connect with friends during the pandemic, that was most likely a good thing, Dr Heitner said.

But the new survey, which polled 1,306 people ages eight to 18 online, suggested that children were not primarily using screens to stay in touch with peers.

Teens, for instance, reported spending more than three hours a day on average watching videos or TV and nearly two hours a day gaming – but only 20 minutes a day video-chatting with friends.

WHY EXPERTS WORRY

It’s important to consider what children are not doing when they spend so much time on screens.

“You worry if it’s replacing activities, like sleep, family time, reading, chores – other things that are positive for children,” Dr Heitner said. “That’s definitely a real concern.”

These worries aren’t confined to the parents of teenagers. The survey found that 64 per cent of tweens reported watching online videos every day, and 65 per cent reported watching TV each day.

Among tweens, 38 per cent of survey respondents said they used social media, an increase from 31 per cent in 2019.

It’s worrying that children under 13 are using social media at all, Graber said. Social media platforms often include graphic and scary content that young children are not ready to see. “I did TikTok this morning, and Ukraine war live footage is all over that app,” she said.

Another concern is that misinformation is rife on social media platforms like YouTube, Graber said. “A young child – they have no idea what’s real and what’s fake,” she said. “So they could fall down this rabbit hole of misinformation and find a very confusing world in front of them.”

She noted that YouTube in particular had a worrying algorithm that was designed to expose viewers to more extreme content over time.

It’s also not healthy for younger children to be exposed to the social complexities intrinsic to social media, Dr Heitner said. “Social comparison, and the potential to see events that you’re not included in or missing out on, can be painful,” she said.

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

One exercise Graber does with her digital-literacy students – and that parents could also try at home – is to ask children to analyse how they spend their time over the course of a single day.

Often, “they’re kind of surprised at how much time they spend on screens”, she said.

Next, she asks them to create a bucket list of 25 things they would do if screens didn’t exist and then suggests they take a 24-hour vacation from screens, encouraging them to accomplish some bucket-list tasks during that time.

“Believe it or not, they usually come back the next week and say, ‘You know what, that felt good,’” Graber said.

The new Common Sense Media survey found that only 34 per cent of teens said they liked using social media “a lot”, so many teens already have reservations about it and may welcome the break, she noted.

Parents may also want to sit down with their children and create a technology agreement, Ms. Graber said, outlining various details including when and where children can use screens and for how long.

Perhaps younger children can watch YouTube only when a parent is in the room with them,
for instance.

“For a lot of children, that’s going to be a good caution – ‘Oh, maybe I’m not going to click on the gross thing because my mom’s right there,’” Dr Heitner said.

When younger children use screens alone, parents can limit their use to apps that adults can more easily control, such as Netflix or Disney+.

Perhaps most importantly, parents should regularly have conversations with their children about screens and social media. Ask them which YouTube influencers they like and why, Graber suggested – or, if they’re on other platforms, ask them what they’re looking at and what they find interesting.

Parents should explain the importance of privacy and that what children share will reflect on them and their reputation, Dr Heitner said.

It might also be helpful to discuss the performative nature of social media so that children understand that people “post when they’re having a really good time, or when they’re having a really good hair day, and that doesn’t necessarily reflect their constant lived reality”, she said.

Whenever possible, parents should try to use screens with their children, too.

When adults use platforms with their children, they have an opportunity to share their values
and expectations.

“Get online with them and ask questions and be curious and try not to be judgemental,” Graber said. “Just like you would watch out for them on the corner or at the park, you watch out for them online.”

CNA – It’s no longer surprising that people who work from home complain that they’re clocking in longer hours than before the pandemic.

The line between office and home is blurred, and we’ve all heard complaints about supervisors who don’t respect the sanctity of after-work hours. It also doesn’t help when bosses have been kickstarting each week with back-to-back Zoom meetings for the past two years now.

And with Omicron cases still on the high side, uninfected staff has to work even harder – whether onsite or from home – to pick up the slack left by COVID-19-positive colleagues. This particular observation has been noted by doctors such as senior consultant with Singapore General Hospital’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine Department Dr Lim
John Wah.

“The work tends to be delegated to the remaining employees, who are forced to either work extra hours in the office or bring work home,” he said.

“Some may feel like there is not enough time in the day to accomplish their tasks”; they are not “able to complete a to-do list” and they feel “like they are never able to keep up with the constant flow of additional work”, said Dr Lim.

Technology, which serves as a boon to modern living, has proven to be another bane during the pandemic. “Some employers expect their employees to be available at all hours of the day due to the convenience of technology,” he said.

MORE OVERWORKED PEOPLE

While “non-specific complaints such as gastric and bowel problems, muscle and joint pains” – which are signs of overworking – have not increased at the hospital level, it is more likely because patients typically address them at their family physician’s rather than at a tertiary healthcare level, opined Dr Lim.

Indeed, family doctors such as Dr Shimona Khoo from Raffles Medical have noticed an increase in the number of patients with such “symptoms suggestive of being burnt out”.

“Common complaints and signs include insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality, fatigue, feeling emotionally drained, poor mood, and increased irritability,” she said.

“Coupled with physical isolation, with little to no interaction with peers and colleagues, it is not surprising that one’s physical and mental health can deteriorate over time,” said Dr Khoo.

ARE YOU OVERWORKING OR JUST GETTING OLDER?

Just how detrimental to health is overworking? According to a joint paper published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization in 2021, three-quarters of a million people worldwide die from ischaemic heart disease and stroke brought on by long working hours. And by “long hours”, they mean longer than 55 hours per week.

The insidious thing about overworking is that the signs can be confused with getting older.

Can’t keep your eyes open after burning the midnight oil to rush out a report? You’re not a spring chicken anymore.

High blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels and weight gain? That’s all part and parcel of a dwindling metabolic rate caused by getting older, isn’t it?

“It is difficult to discern if the symptoms one experiences are due to overworking or are part of the natural ageing process,” said Dr Khoo. “For instance, longer working hours can result in poor sleep, insufficient time to exercise and binge eating, which lead to an increase in blood pressure, cholesterol and weight gain.”

Dr Lim also agreed: “It is not easy to differentiate these two, as there is an interlink between overworking and other common health issues”. However, “people who chronically overwork may experience these health issues earlier compared to their peers from the same age group”, he added.

WHY GOING ON LEAVE IS NOT ENOUGH

Well, you could go on leave and finally use up some of those days your boss has been reminding you to clear. But here’s the thing: Going on leave is only a temporary measure, said Dr Lim.

“When we return to the work environment that requires us to work long hours, the same problems tend to recur. It is best to target the underlying cause of overworking, instead of the symptoms of overworking,” he said.

Furthermore, not everyone can afford the luxury to take long breaks, such as two weeks, from work, said Dr Khoo. Or you may be busy with family commitments while on leave. Still, Dr Khoo said a short break here and there “is equally important” as it can provide a breather. “However, achieving work-life balance is the only way to address the health effects from overworking,” she said.

WHAT IS THE DAMAGE?

Working long hours induces your body to release excessive amounts of stress hormones, primarily cortisol, said psychologist Dr Adam Borland on the Mayo Clinic Website, which can lead to brain fog, high blood pressure and a host of other health problems. 

“It’s like a car trying to run with a very limited amount of gas in the tank,” said Dr Borland.

“We’re expecting ourselves to perform physically and cognitively on such a high level but in reality, our reserves are tapped out.”

According to Dr Lim, overworking isn’t a condition that occurs overnight. It is a risk that “accumulates over the years” and “preventing it from becoming chronic may reduce the long-term complications of diseases associated with overworking”, he said.

Here’s a look at the damage that can happen to your health when you allow yourself to be chronically overworked and what you can do about it. However, if you experience prolonged insomnia, poor appetite, low mood, irritability, or develop suicidal thoughts, Dr Khoo strongly advises you to seek help early from a medical doctor.

Having enough sleep (at least seven hours per night) doesn’t only make you more alert and productive in the day. The lack of zzzs can also increase your risk of chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

“From a preventive medicine perspective, we recommend people who work for long hours to go for a yearly health screening to detect risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as the ‘4 highs’: High blood pressure (hypertension), blood sugar (diabetes), cholesterol and BMI,” said Dr Lim.

For Dr Khoo, it is important to draw the distinction between work and home, so that your brain can switch off for the day. Simple routines to help you transition from “work you” to “home you” can be as easy as removing your contact lenses, changing into home clothes or taking a short walk in the park.

“When work is over, leave your workspace entirely and turn off all work-related devices,” she said. “As best as you can, avoid using your personal devices for work and reserve them solely for personal use only.”

Those stress hormones that your body keeps pumping out can take their toll on your vascular system and affect the heart and brain. “In a meta-analysis of 600,000 workers in the western world, those working 55 hours or longer were 23 per cent likelier to develop coronary heart disease. Additionally, the risk of stroke was elevated by 33 per cent,” said Dr Khoo.

Get moving (preferably aerobic exercise to increase your heart rate) to get those stress levels in control. Exercise increases your brain’s feel-good hormones known as endorphins and can reduce cortisol levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you can’t run, go for a walk around the neighbourhood before or after work. Walk to the coffeeshop a few blocks away to get your lunch instead of ordering online.