Children aged 9
to 10 who use electronic devices for seven hours or more per day
exhibit premature thinning of the brain cortex, the outer brain layer
that processes information from the five physical senses
As little as two hours of screen time per day may impact cognition, resulting in lower scores on thinking and language tests
Infants under the age of 2 do not effectively learn language from videos; they need live interaction
Babies do not
transfer what they learn from the iPad to the real world. For example,
the ability to play with virtual Legos does not transfer over into the
skill of manipulating real Lego blocks
Apps and social media are designed to be addictive, and young children are far more susceptible to addiction than adults
Most people today live in a sea of
radiofrequencies emitted from wireless technologies of all kinds, from
routers to smartphones, tablets, baby monitors, TVs, appliances, smart
meters and many more.
According to many experts, chronic, heavy exposure could have severe
repercussions for our health, especially that of children, who are now
exposed even before birth. Research also suggests interaction with
social media, games and apps online produces a number of effects, both
physical and psychological.
Heavy Use of Wireless Devices Changes Brain Structure in Children
In the largest long-term study1,2,3 of brain development and youth health in the U.S., the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study,4 reveals the brains of the most prolific users of electronic devices look different compared to those who use smartphones, tablets and video games less frequently.
In all, more than 11,000 children will be followed for a decade to
assess how various childhood experiences and environments affect brain
development and psychological health. As noted by the researchers,5 "The data will provide a resource of unprecedented scale and depth for studying typical and atypical development."
These preliminary findings, based on the brain scans of 4,500 9- to
10-year-olds, reveal children who use electronic devices for seven hours
or more each day have premature thinning of the brain cortex, the outer
brain layer that processes information from the five physical senses
(taste, touch, sight, smell and sound).
The exact ramifications of this anomaly are still unknown. According
to Dr. Gaya Dowling, a researcher with the National Institutes of
Health, which is sponsoring the $300 million study, thinning of the
cortex is thought to be part of the brain maturation process, so what
these scans are showing is that this process is being sped up in
children who get a lot of screen time6 (7-plus hours a day).
They cannot prove that the changes are definitively caused by the
screen time, and the full effects won't be known until years from now,
as the emotional and mental health outcomes of these children are
evaluated. Still, preliminary results suggest as little as two hours of
screen time per day may impact cognition, resulting in lower scores on
thinking and language tests.
American Academy of Pediatrics' Guidelines for Screen Time
According to the "Growing Up Digital" report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), published in October 2015:7
"The 2013 Zero to Eight study … showed that 38 percent of infants
younger than age 2 use mobile devices like smartphones. A 2015 Pew
Research study reports that 73 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds have
smartphones and 24 percent admit using their phones almost constantly."
The report cites data from research showing infants under the age of 1
do not effectively learn language from videos, whereas they do learn
language from live interactions. Up to age 2, live presentations are far
superior for language processing and learning compared to video
presentations.
According to the report, "It is clear that very young children need
'contingent interaction — two-way social interchange — to promote
learning." This is also noted in the 60 Minutes report8 (see featured video).
Research shows that babies do not transfer what they learn from the
iPad to the real world, or from two-dimensional interaction to
three-dimensional reality. For example, the ability to play with virtual
Legos does not transfer over into the skill of manipulating real Lego
blocks.
Despite such concerns, the 2015 AAP guidelines for screen time for
children relaxed its recommendations, noting that "Parents should model
responsible media use," and that media content and diversity are
important considerations, but that video games can be "powerful tools
for learning because they help youth work toward reward," and "engage in
experimentation."
Previous guidelines — developed before the popularity of iPads and
smartphone apps designed for young children — discouraged all screen
time for children under the age of 2, and recommended a limit of two
hours of screen time for kids older than 2.
The updated guidelines removed specific time limits, stressing the
need for parental control instead. Recommendations include setting
limits for screen time at every age, avoiding displacement (i.e., not
letting screen time dominate and take the place of face-to-face
interactions and creative play), addressing digital etiquette, engaging
in digital media use together, and establishing definitive media-free
zones and periods, such as during meals and at bedtime.
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Digital Media Is Designed To Be Addictive
While the AAP's guidelines may be based in what seems to be common
sense of good parenting, the reality is that many parents have just as
much trouble moderating their usage as their children. What's worse,
young children, especially those under the age of 2, are far more
susceptible to addictive behavior than older children and adults.
The fact that apps and social media are designed to be addictive adds
to the challenge. Last year, Tristan Harris, a former Google product
manager, revealed how smartphone apps and social media feedback are
designed to get you hooked.9
Behavior patterns are often etched into neural pathways,10
and when those behaviors are also linked to hormone secretion and
physiological responses, they become even more powerful. In fact, Harris
describes the reward process of using a smartphone as "playing the slot
machine."11
Google has discovered a way to embed that reward system into the apps
on your phone. In the video below, Harris describes the process, known
in programming circles as "brain hacking," as they incorporate knowledge
of neuropsychology into the development of digital interfaces that
boost interaction.
For instance, getting likes on Facebook and Instagram, the "streaks"
on Snapchat or cute emojis on texts are all designed to boost your
engagement and keep you coming back.
Harris describes it as a race to the bottom of the brainstem where fear and anxiety
live, two of the most powerful motivators known to advertisers. Both
advertisers and computer software developers use these techniques to
write code that will engage your attention.12
Research discussed in the featured 60 Minute segment reveals that
addiction to smartphones and social media is indeed a reality,
triggering the release of dopamine — a neurochemical involved in
cravings and desire that promotes impulsive and compulsive behavior.
Indeed, many, both children and adults, exhibit signs of addiction to
their electronic devices. Many even sleep with their smartphones right
next to them in bed, or directly under their pillow — a trend that is
bound to cause severe harm to both their mental and physical health.
Screen Time Linked to Sleep Deprivation
The radiation alone is a significant hazard and is known to disrupt sleep,
but the blue light from the screen, plus the beeping and pinging when
messages and other notifications come in are bound to interrupt sleep as
well. This does not even factor in the influence of microwave radiation
from cellphones influencing melatonin, which regulates your sleep-wake
cycle.
When your melatonin production is disrupted, it can have long-term health effects, as shown in a 2013 animal study13 which assessed the effects of cellphone radiation on the central nervous system. Exposure to cellphone radiation
for just one hour a day for one month caused rats to experience a
period of delay before entering rapid eye movement deep sleep — a phase
necessary for restorative sleep.
Another study14
published in 2015 found that 1.8 GHz frequencies affected rats'
circadian rhythm and decreased their daily production of melatonin.
Superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase (which help prevent
cellular damage) were also decreased.
Low melatonin is used as a marker for disturbed sleep.15
It comes as no great surprise then that sleep deprivation among
teenagers rose by 57 percent between 1991 and 2015. Many do not even get
seven hours of sleep on a regular basis, while science reveals they
need a minimum of eight and as much as 10 hours to maintain their
health.
The research clearly shows that heavy computer and cellphone users are more prone to insomnia.16 For example, one 2008 study17
revealed that people exposed to radiation from their mobile phones for
three hours before bedtime had more trouble falling asleep and staying
in a deep sleep.
Universal Smartphone Use Has Dramatically Altered Social Interactions
Smartphones and tablets have also had a tremendous impact on youths'
social interactions, which has significant ramifications for their
psychological health. For example, teens today are far less likely to
want to get a driver's license than previous generations, and a majority
of their social life is carried out in the solitude of their bedroom,
via their smartphones.
As of 2015, 12th-graders spent less time "hanging out" and
socializing with friends than eighth-graders did in 2009. While this
makes them physically safer than any previous generation, this kind of
isolation does not bode well for mental health and the building of
social skills required for work and personal relationships.
In fact, today's teens are also far less prone to date than previous
generations. In 2015, 56 percent of high school seniors dated, nearly 30
percent less than boomers and Gen Xers. Not surprisingly, sexual
activity has also declined — down by about 40 percent since 1991,
resulting in a 67 percent drop in teen pregnancy rates.
Depression and Suicide Risk Rises in Tandem With Increased Screen Time
Avoiding the drama of those early love experiences has not had a
positive effect on emotional health, however. Data from the annual
Monitoring the Future survey reveals the more time teens spend online,
the unhappier they are, and those who spend more time than average on
in-person relations and activities that do not involve their smartphone
are far more likely to report being "happy."18
Results such as these really should come as no surprise. Spending time outdoors has been scientifically shown to dramatically improve people's mood and significantly reduce symptoms of depression.19
Interestingly, it doesn't matter what type of screen activity is
involved. They're all equally likely to cause psychological distress.
Between 2012 and 2015, depressive symptoms among boys rose by 21
percent. Among girls, the rise during that same time was a whopping 50
percent20 — a truly remarkable increase in just three years' time.
Rates of teen depression, self-harm and suicide
have also dramatically risen. Emergency room visits for self-harming
behavior such as cutting has tripled among girls aged 10 to 14, and data
suggest spending three hours or more each day on electronic devices
raises a teen's suicide risk by 35 percent.21
Between 2007 and 2015, the suicide rate for 12- to 14-year-old girls
rose threefold — a gender trend that can in part be blamed on a rise in
cyberbullying, which is more common among girls. The suicide rate among
boys doubled in that same time frame.22
The issue is not entirely black-and-white, however. Recent polling23
by the Pew Research Center reveals 81 percent of teens say social media
helps them feel more connected to their friends, and 69 percent say it
helps them interact with a more diverse group of people. Sixty-eight
percent also said they feel they have people online to whom they can
turn for support during rough times.
On the other hand, 45 percent admit they feel overwhelmed by the
drama on social media, and 43 percent feel pressured to only post
content that presents them in a good light.
Still, recent research shows that limiting social media usage has a
definitive, and beneficial, impact on mental health. The study24
in question recruited 143 undergraduate students at the University of
Pennsylvania who were randomly assigned to either use social media
(Facebook, Instagram and/or Snapchat) as usual for three weeks, or limit
their usage to 30 minutes per day.
According to the researchers, "The limited use group showed
significant reductions in loneliness and depression over three weeks
compared to the control group. Both groups showed significant decreases
in anxiety and fear of missing out over baseline, suggesting a benefit
of increased self-monitoring."
How Electronic Devices Trigger Anxiety, Depression and Memory Problems
Aside from purely psychological factors, one of the reasons for why
social media use tends to raise a child's risk for anxiety and
depression25 has to do with the fact that smartphones emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs).26
Research27,28
by professor Martin Pall, Ph.D., reveals EMFs activate voltage gated
calcium channels (VGCCs) embedded in your cell membranes. This releases a
flood of calcium ions which, through a cascade of effects, result in
the creation of hydroxyl free radicals — some of the most destructive
free radicals known to man. In turn, this decimates mitochondrial and
nuclear DNA, their membranes and proteins, ultimately resulting in
mitochondrial dysfunction.
Your brain has the highest density of VGCCs in your body, which is
why excessive EMF exposure is associated with depression and
neurological dysfunction, including dementia.
According to Nicholas Carr, author of the book, "The Shallows: What
the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains," millennials are experiencing
greater problems with forgetfulness than seniors.29
This is the "dark side" of neurological plasticity that allows your
brain to adapt to changes in your environment. This type of plasticity
is one way your brain recovers after a stroke has permanently damaged
one area.
Aside from reduced cortical thickness (found in other studies30,31 beside the ABCD study), long-term internet use has also been linked to a loss of white matter32,33 and impaired cognitive functioning.34
It is impossible to ignore that these devices are changing your
child's brain structure, and the experience is also increasing exposure
to microwave radiation and large amounts of blue light at night, thereby
impacting his or her body's ability to produce melatonin.
So, if your child or teen is showing signs of anxiety, depression
or cognitive problems, please, do what you must to limit their exposure
to wireless technology. Teach them more responsible usage. At bare
minimum, insist on their turning off phones and tablets at night, and to
not sleep with their phone beneath their pillow or directly near their
head.
Really try to minimize the presence of electronic devices in their
bedroom and, to protect everyone in your household and instill the
concept of "off times," shut down your Wi-Fi at night.
As noted in 60 Minutes, what we're dealing with is a completely
uncontrolled experiment on our children, and while it's still too early
to determine all of the ramifications, preliminary findings strongly
suggest precautions are necessary to protect our children's physical
health and mental well-being.
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