The Link between “Screen Time” and Girls’ Mental Health
The March 10, 2021 issue of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia eBrief explored the current research connecting screen time with the mental wellbeing of girls. The expression ‘screen time’ has certainly changed from when I was a girl. Screen time to me was the rare opportunity to watch the single black and white television that was in our family's lounge room. This is in stark contrast to ‘screen time’ today which refers to time spent on smart phones, iPads, laptops, tablets, smart boards, gaming screens, smart watches as well as colour televisions. It seems that recreation, person-to-person connection and the instant sharing of information is now inextricably linked with screen time; so the answer to the question of "How much screen time is too much for children?" now takes on even greater significance than in the past.
Professor Jean Twenge, a recognised international expert, recently led and reported on a study examining different types of screen activity separately, as well as through a gender lens. Her research suggested that “adolescent girls using the internet and social media are most at risk of compromised mental health”. In particular, she reported that girls who access and use the internet or social media for greater than five hours per day are “significantly more likely than other adolescents to report clinically relevant symptoms of depression” as well as heightened concerns about body image. The depression rate and focus on body image are of course alarming, but so is the thought of girls choosing to spend so much time consistently on social media at the expense of physical recreation, face-to-face communication with family or friends, or learning new skills such as learning to play a musical instrument, undertaking community service or a casual job.
According to the Alliance’s eBrief, “previous studies have found that girls are more focused than boys on social relationships and popularity,” which may account for the time girls typically spend “carefully crafting their online image”. Increasingly it seems to me that some girls are living parallel lives; a decreasing one in the real world in which face-to-face real interactions occur and in which they know the people they are talking to; and an increasing one in the virtual world in which they can create an image that does not need to stand up to public and personal scrutiny and which more closely is associated with fantasy than reality.
Professor Twenge and her research colleague Eric Farley of the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University, used data from the Millennium Cohort Study (11,000 British adolescent girls and boys) to further investigate any correlations between time spent on social media, the internet, gaming or watching television and mental health indicators such as self-harm, depression, life satisfaction, and self-esteem. Their research showed that the use of social media was significantly higher amongst girls than boys and the use of gaming was significantly higher amongst boys than girls. While one quarter of girls surveyed spent five hours or more per day on some form of social media, similarly, around one quarter of boys surveyed spent five hours or more per day playing online gaming.
For both genders the researchers found a direct correlation between increased time using screen media and increased negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing. It was noted however, that the data suggested that the watching of television was less harmful to adolescents’ wellbeing than other forms of screen time. In any case, it is important to note that the data suggested that declining mental health in girls appears to start with as little as two hours per day spent on social media, often commencing with low self-esteem and diminished life satisfaction.
For those of my generation, we were largely protected from the negative impacts of cyber-bullying, disturbed sleep or reduced physical activity because the only form of media was the simple television that was either on or off and it had no way of being a portal of communication to or from others. Our self image was largely defined by what we saw in the mirror rather than what we crafted on a social media platform and our communications were either face-to-face, on the phone or through a time delayed form of written communication such as a letter.
So, back to the question of, “How much screen time is too much for children?”. Sadly there is no one answer that fits all circumstances or ages or genders of children. It is highly likely that our more senior students will be spending longer hours in front of a screen, compared to their younger peers, simply to complete their learning tasks or assessment tasks. As always, it is up to parents to monitor screen time at home and teachers and education leaders to monitor screen time at school so that the screen time is “quality” and “productive” screen time. That is, screen time that contributes in some positive way to learning or wellbeing. When it comes to building relationships and enjoying recreation time, I for one would much prefer that it happen face to face and in the context of sport or the great outdoors.
Dr Deborah Priest
Principal
References
- Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (2021), Not all screen time is equal: The internet, social media & girls’ mental health, eBrief Issue 4/2021: March 10, 2021
- Twenge, J. M. & Farley, E. (2021). Not all screen time is created equal: Associations with mental health vary by activity and gender. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 56, 207-217.