Parent Resource Series:

Screen Use & Its Implications for Our Students

Part 1

Dear Wesleyan families,

For many of us, it's hard to believe that it's only been 14 years since the first iPhone was released and just 11 years since the first iPad hit store shelves. What can be even harder to grasp is the speed with which smartphones and portable screens have transformed the way our society communicates, interacts, learns, and conducts business, as well as our increasing dependence on them.

Because the growing body of research certainly confirms the harmful effects of extensive screen use on child development, we are increasingly concerned about the earlier ages in which students are receiving smartphones as well as the amount of time and access to unfiltered internet access that many of our children may have. For example, a good amount of our administrative time can be spent dealing with serious issues and consequences as a result of easy access to unfiltered internet use and social media with our students. This has caused us to step back this past year to investigate these and other issues more deeply to discover more ways we can partner and share resources in these unprecedented times of cultural influence and change.

Our Initial Research and Findings
To that end, our administrative team just finished reading and discussing Melanie Hempe's new book, The ScreenStrong Solution, where she explains, "The addictive nature of entertainment screens has rapidly outpaced the ability of our children's brains to turn them off …". Hempe also warns, "Childhoods dominated by screen use can produce lopsided brains. Critical pathways do not get enough attention, while the reward center receives too much."

Interestingly, these realities are not lost on the very technology executives who created these devices. As recent articles have reported, many Silicon Valley executives do not allow their own children access to screens, or instead limit their access significantly.

In her book, Hempe expands on the impact of screen dependence adding, "Your teen craves low-effort, high-reward activities. Moving back and forth between the mindless virtual world and the harder real world is exhausting. This is why many parents feel that their teens are not maturing or moving toward the harder work of becoming independent and growing up."

Wesleyan Middle & High School Smartphone Usage Survey
To better understand our own students' phone and screen use, earlier this month we asked all of our middle and high school students to complete anonymous surveys. Below is a snapshot of a few of our findings:

Only 13% of current HS students received their first smartphone before their 10th birthday. However, 33% of middle school students received theirs by this same age (just a few short years later, a 20% increase!)
When asked what they felt the appropriate age for children to receive smartphones would be, only 8% of high school students and 20% of middle school students recommended 10 years or younger. This demonstrates that even our kids recognize a specific maturity level is needed to have access.
14% of HS students spend 1-2 hours per day on their phone, 55% spend 3-5 hours per day, 21.5% spend 6-8 hours per day, and 6% spend more than 8 hours per day.
42% of HS students spend 1-2 hours gaming per day, 12% spend 3-5 hours per day, and 7% spend 6-8 hours per day.
29% of MS students spend 1-2 hours per day on their phone, 43% say 3-5 hours, 13% say 6-8 hours, and 1.2% say more than 8 hours.
42% of MS students spend 1-2 hours gaming per day, 18% spend 3-5 hours per day, and 7% spend 6-8 hours per day gaming.

Taken alone, the mid-range of the phone time and gaming time shared above could sound reasonable to some. However, it represents significant time away from family and other activities that provide the depth of life experience needed to grow the adolescent brain, build relationship capacities, and discover one's identity as a follower of Jesus Christ. Further, this may suggest the replacement of the parent as the primary source of information and guidance. That said, we are not alone in our challenge, Leonard Sax, MD, PhD., and author of The Collapse of Parenting states:

"We have allowed kids to be guided by same-age peers (via games and phones) rather than insisting on the primacy of guidance from adults. As a result, American kids now grow up to be less imaginative, less adaptive, and less creative than they could be."

As we all process recent studies that may raise alarm, please know that our concerns are rooted in the desire, and mission to see our students unburdened by the physiological and psychological impacts of screen dependence and addiction, freeing them to thrive academically, relationally, and spiritually.

For these and many more reasons, we will be sharing some of the best research and resources we have found with you, including a few from our partnership with AXIS, to encourage and support you as you navigate this issue to make the very best decisions for your own family. Understanding that every age and home operates differently, your principals will be sharing a short and encouraging message with you next week, along with age-specific resources, in Part 2 of this series.

For His Glory and our children's good,

Dr. Rob Brown,

Head of School

Mr. Tim Rickman,

High School Principal

Mr. Tim Kohns,

Middle School Principal

Dr. David Ray,

Elementary Principal

Mrs. Becky Owens,

Enrichment Center Principal

Mrs. Emily Orman,

Early Education Center Director