\u201cThe short answer is that the typical teenager in the U.S. spends about an hour and 15 minutes on their phone during the school day,\u201d Christakis said. \u201cTwenty-five percent of kids spend a quarter of their school day on their phone. If you\u2019re about to ask me, wait, maybe they\u2019re using it for educational reasons. No, they were on social media using TikTok or Instagram.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know whether they were using it during class time or during lunch or in the hallway, but you know what, it doesn\u2019t really matter to me anyway because I think all of that time is precious,\u201d Christakis continued. \u201cIf they\u2019re using it in the classroom, they\u2019re clearly not paying attention to what they should be learning, and if they\u2019re using it at lunch or in the hallway, they\u2019re not taking the opportunity to engage with their classmates in real-time and space. Kids need that, we all need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christakis noted that the COVID-19 pandemic may have worsened the problem, with children stuck indoors for prolonged periods and only able to communicate via technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate to say it, but the pandemic made it worse. Many of us, myself included, have been concerned about screen time during the pandemic,\u201d Christakis said. \u201cThankfully, it\u2019s in the rearview mirror. But the problem of overuse and over-reliance on social media is by no means gone, and in fact, it\u2019s only getting worse. It concerns me. There is only so much time in the day, and is this time well spent?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is that it should surprise no one to learn that these companies, for years, have hired the smartest computer engineers out of college and financially incentivized them to make products that are so engaging that you can\u2019t put them down, and created products that are addictive,\u201d Christakis continued. \u201cWe don\u2019t allow children today access to addictive products or addictive behaviors, whether it\u2019s alcohol, tobacco, or gambling, precisely because we think they don\u2019t have the cognitive capacity to limit their use of it, and they\u2019re at high risk of overuse and addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch the full discussion in the video above.<\/p>\n
Listen to\u00a0\u201cThe Jake and Spike Show\u201d<\/a>\u00a0weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO\u00a0Newsradio\u00a097.3 FM.\u00a0Subscribe to the podcast here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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