Famous at Home with Dr. Josh + Christi Straub

  • Our Main Home
  • About
  • For Families
  • For Leaders
  • Podcast
  • Speaking
  • Resources

3 Disturbing Screen Time Statistics Parents Should Know About

June 4, 2018 By Joshua Straub 1 Comment

Did you know that your child’s brain is creating neural pathways everyday? Like a muscle, they either use it, or lose it.

In a study of taxi cab drivers in Britain, researchers compared the brain activity of taxi cab drivers who did not use GPS to the brain activity of others not required to learn the complicated streets of London. What they found needs to be etched into our brain activity as parents.

The hippocampus—the part of the brain responsible for the memory of location of objects or people—was thriving in taxi cab drivers not using GPS. The author of study found that the more years of experience the cabbies had, the more the brain was thriving. Her hope is that these drivers never begin using GPS because of it’s reverse effect on the hippocampus.

What does this mean for you? The hippocampus helps you find your house at the end of the day and is responsible for storing the long-term memories you have from your childhood or the kayaking trip you took on your honeymoon.

Do you remember when you had more than 10 phone numbers memorized? How many do you know today without looking at your phone?

Not using this part of your brain is akin to not doing arm curls to build your biceps.

When you don’t use it, you lose it.

In recent months, tech companies have come under incredible political pressure for not warning parents of the inherent dangers of too much screen time on a child’s brain.

As parents, we have a significant influence on how our child’s brain is being wired. That’s why you need to know these recent trends.

  1. 25% of kids under age 6 own a smartphone.

What’s worse? Of the parents surveyed, 8 in 10 don’t monitor the amount of time their child is using a screen.

 The brain grows fastest in the first five years of life. Research increasingly shows that screen time in our youngest is leading to inattention, anxiety, and depression. Just as you wouldn’t give your child sugar every time he asks for it, set a limit on how much screen time he gets, too. Too much sugar suppresses the immune system. Too much screen time suppresses the brain.

  1. The average person touches, swipes, or clicks their phone 2,617 times a day.

The top 10% do so 5,427 times a day.

 We live in a state of what researchers describe as “continuous partial attention.” We don’t pay full attention to any one thing when our phone is within reach.

Have your children asked you to get off your phone to pay attention to them? Mine have. Wiring our kids brain for relationships begins with us—the parents.

  1. The happiest teens use screens less than an hour a day.

In fact, the teens who spent more time in face-to-face, in-person interaction with friends were happiest.

As a parent, we all want our kids to be happy. However, many believe that giving their child what they want in the moment (a screen) will do that. Yet, there is an inverse relationship between happiness and time spent on a screen for both children and adults.

God designed our brain to be wired for relationships. Perhaps it’s no wonder the happiest kids are those who engage in them.

Related Posts

  • 5 Simple Steps to Regulating Your Kids’ Screen Time5 Simple Steps to Regulating Your Kids’ Screen Time
  • How To Talk To Your Kids About Screens—Where Everybody WinsHow To Talk To Your Kids About Screens—Where Everybody Wins
  • Kids, Screens, and Summer: The 3 Decisions Parents Must MakeKids, Screens, and Summer: The 3 Decisions Parents Must Make
  • Why You Should Play Video Games With Your KidsWhy You Should Play Video Games With Your Kids
  • The Powerful Influence of Secondhand Screen Time on a Child’s Brain: What Parents Need to KnowThe Powerful Influence of Secondhand Screen Time on a Child’s Brain: What Parents Need to Know

Filed Under: Parenting, Technology Tagged With: Kids, Parenting, Screen Time, Technology

« #59: My Child’s First Phone–What Parents Need to Know with Michael Kong
#60: Your Questions: Sibling Rivalry, Understanding a Child’s Emotions, and Tough Conversations with Family »

Comments

  1. LaKenya says

    June 4, 2018 at

    Wow, this article is an eye opener not only for monitoring the screen time for my teenager, but for me, as well. They do tend to repeat what they see. Thanks for this great information

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Find topics you care about

I’m looking for:

New episode, “When Your Life Feels Like a Thousa New episode, “When Your Life Feels Like a Thousand-Piece Puzzle” is out now! Watch on YouTube at the link in our bio.

#famousathomepodcast #parenting
Learn more about how to live with a “there you a Learn more about how to live with a “there you are” confidence by listening to the episode “Discovering Your Family’s Why” at the link in our bio.

#famousathomepodcast #abbaschild #trueself #impostersyndrome
Our new episode, “Core Essentials for Family Con Our new episode, “Core Essentials for Family Connection” is out 🎉

Here are some highlights:

• How to identify the “less” you need in your life
• How to identify what a good ‘ole fashioned “sigh” means for cultivating peace and connection in your home
• How to battle of fear of “being still” and embracing silence so that you can discern what God might be speaking to you

Watch now at the link in our bio.

#famousathomepodcast #familyconnection
Before you create vision for your family, the prio Before you create vision for your family, the priority to ask yourself is, do my spouse and kids feel seen?

Watch the episode, “Discovering Your Family’s Why” at the link in our bio.

#purpose #familytime #famousathomepodcast #routine
John wrote, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, CSB). Our capacity to love and “see” our kids is a reflection of how well we have received love and felt “seen” by others. 
 
When we feel seen, we feel loved. 
When we feel loved, we see others. 
When others feel seen, they feel loved. 
When others feel loved, they see others. 
And the cycle continues. 
 
This is how we build the Kingdom of God—by experiencing the love of a Father who is closer to us than our clothes. 
 
A Father who is compassionate. 
A Father who is gracious. 
A Father who is slow to anger. 
A Father who is abounding in steadfast love.

None of us can live fully alive and “see” others without that security. And your Heavenly Father knows that. Which is why He’s always available. 

Excerpts taken from “Closer Than Your Clothes” written by @joshua.straub. Sign up to receive newsletters at the link in our bio.

#famousathome #newsletter
Why do our bodies feel safer in chaos than peace s Why do our bodies feel safer in chaos than peace sometimes? Learn more by listening to the episode, “Fighting For Peace in Your Home” at the link in our bio.
How can we practically regulate our emotions inste How can we practically regulate our emotions instead of shutting them out or losing our mind? A few weeks ago Josh and Christi answered some podcast listener questions related to toddlers, discipline, divorce, and loss of relationships. Watch this episode on YouTube at the link in our bio.

#famousathomepodcast #famousathome

Copyright © 2023 - Terms & Conditions - Privacy Policy - Joshua Straub