The American Psychological Association<\/a> says older children are more likely to develop socio-emotional issues the more time they spend in front of screens.<\/p>\nClinical neuropsychologist Dr. Marie Volbrecht says it\u2019s something she talks about with patients nearly every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of the problem is that it\u2019s taking time away from more productive matters in life,\u201d Volbrecht said. \u201cIt\u2019s being used to zone out or socialize and it\u2019s taking the place of face-to-face time.\u201d<\/p>\n
She adds that light from phones and laptops can interfere with sleep rhythms \u2014 often leading to trouble falling or staying asleep.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lighting from screens can mess up our sleep rhythms,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of people will look at their phones or laptops right before bed, which actually causes problems with getting to sleep and getting good sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students like Luke Burhans, another Prairie senior, admit it\u2019s a tough habit to break.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fall asleep to it listening to podcasts,\u201d Burhans said. \u201cI\u2019m on it two hours before I go to sleep sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volbrecht says too much time online can also heighten anxiety or depression \u2014 and limit opportunities for creativity and real-world connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s important that kids have a chance to be bored,\u201d she said. \u201cIt helps with imagination, problem solving, and all the maturational things they need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts recommend parents set reasonable limits and encourage screen-free activities when possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdding something that keeps them busy and takes up their attention helps naturally reduce screen time,\u201d Volbrecht said.<\/p>\n
Volbrecht emphasizes not all screen time is bad \u2014 but when it replaces sleep or face-to-face relationships, it\u2019s time to power down.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Children of all ages are spending more hours than ever in front of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,2712,121829,121831,84,121827,121830,393,394,121832,8982,121828],"class_list":{"0":"post-263522","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cdc","11":"tag-christofer-valesquez","12":"tag-dr-marie-volbrecht","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-libbie-randall","15":"tag-luke-burhans","16":"tag-mental-health","17":"tag-mentalhealth","18":"tag-mercy-medical-center","19":"tag-screen-time","20":"tag-teens-and-phone-use"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}