Doctors are concerned about how a sharp rise in screen time among teenagers is affecting their mental health.
In their free time, teens are spending the equivalent of an entire workday in front of screens.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, young teens spent about four hours a day looking at a device. Their bad habits were only exacerbated by COVID-19.
"They reported that screen time has doubled to nearly eight hours a day during the pandemic," Dr. Jason Nagata, UCSF pediatrician, told KCBS Radio's "As Prescribed" on Thursday. "It's noteworthy that this actually excluded screen time spent on school or for schoolwork."
Nagata led the study, which surveyed 5,412 teens in every state.
The most common screen-driven activities for kids ages 12-13 were watching or streaming movies, videos, television and gaming.
"During the pandemic, it was thought that social media and video conference calls could be used to foster social connection for these teens," he said. "But...we found that teens who reported more screen time actually said that they felt less social support and less connected with their family and friends. (They) actually reported higher mental health issues, and more stress."
Nagata explained screens won't just go away even if kids are fully back to in-person learning.
In that case, he said parents should look out for signs of binge watching and doom-scrolling, and encourage physical activity outside. When setting limits on screen time – parents should lead by example.
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