Screens. From the moment you wake up to when you go to sleep, our lives inch closer to being fully dependent on the technology around us.
Amy Dillon, the Prevention and Wellness Coordinator, understands that in the 21st century, school life and personal life is filled with technology.
“We have a lot of screens. Little screens, medium sized screens, big screens. I think the use in general, especially since we have become a more technologically oriented school, has caused screen times to be much higher,” Dillon said.
Renatha Heredia (11), agreed that there are a growing number of screens that have been introduced to every aspect of her life due to the world becoming more dependent on technology.
“Everything is on the computer. Even at my work, I am still looking at a computer. Usually, my head hurts at the end of the day,” Heredia said.
From this advancement in society, the resources that we use in classes have long changed from simple pen and paper; students are now expected to be on screens to participate in class and do their homework, according to Heredia.
Miya Malfait (12), acknowledged that including school work her screen time probably amounts to around fifteen hours, meaning she can’t realistically set strict limits on her screens.
“Most of my school work is digital, and if I put limitations on that, I don’t think I could complete everything that I am required to,” Malfait said.
Dillon acknowledged that the constant necessity to use screens in students’ lives is an emotional struggle. According to the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, doctors say to limit screen time to two hours a day for teenagers. However, Malfait doesn’t agree with this assertion, as she believed that this recommendation does not account for school work.
“My mom followed regulations from doctors of only having two hours of screen time daily, but I honestly think that is for my personal usage screen time and not for anything academic,” Malfait said.
According to a TSP-run survey, out of the 131 students surveyed, 76.4% agreed that their day seems as though it is mostly filled with technology, with 67.1% spending more than three hours on screens daily for school work.
From Dillon’s perspective, this immense amount of screens and reliance on technology also means that students can easily access resources online, but also notes that this causes academic pressure.
“Screen time gives you access to everything you need at your fingertips. You don’t need textbooks or worksheets anymore, but it puts a strain on you. Really, if you looked at your total screen time for a given day, it would probably be hours and hours. In school, you are on your computer, and after school you are doing homework on your computer, so it is a lot,” Dillon said.
However, whilst students do use computers for school, phones also alarmingly take up the bulk of a student’s time, according to Andrew Benton, a Statistics teacher. He believes that just knowing how much time you spend on a screen can push you to change.
“In Stats, the first thing we do is look at our screen time from last week. It is kind of an eye opener for students who say, ‘I had fourteen hours of screen time just yesterday.’ Sometimes just seeing your screen time can be the first step in ‘what can I do to limit the use of the phone,’” Benton said.
With this mindset Benton is referring to, teenagers are becoming young adults and making changes to limit their own screen time, according to Dillon.
“There is a rabbit hole,” Dillon said, “On Tiktok, Instagram, X, people find themselves going down a dark hole. It used to be more parents holding children accountable and setting a certain amount of time that you could be on your phone, but I think increasingly students are beginning to realize the negative impact.”
The TSP-run survey also found that 53.4% reported having a feature on their devices that helps manage and track their technology usage, showing teenagers are starting to take their technology habits into their own hands.
Dillon noted the physical consequences of high technology usage, like eye-fatigue and sleep deprivation, as well as emotional distress with poor self-image and irritability. Recognizing these problems is what pushes teenagers to become better, according to Dillon. She understands that these actions are just a part of growing and learning about responsibility.
“I think it is just how we learn to hold ourselves accountable. If it is something that is important to you and you recognize that, then you can work towards remediating it,” Dillon said.
Additionally, the physical social connections people have are often inhibited by our constant contact with technology, according to Malfait.
“I think a lot of times technology is something that people can abuse, and seeing people around me with a phone addiction is off putting. I think it’s important to be present in our day-to-day lives and be aware,” Malfait said.
Benton also believes a negative consequence of screens is the need for instant gratification, taking away from the learning process for students.
“There are definitely good things technology brings, like you can get immediate feedback,” Benton said.“However, also with Delta Math and Math Excel, students try to shortcut things because they just want to get to the answer. Instead of using their computer as a resource, they try to hack that resource and do it in their head so they are not learning as deeply.”
In addition, students like Heredia also prefer to write information down, rather than type, in order to learn better.
“I like doing things on paper. Even if I have an essay, I am going to write it on paper first because I like to write things down instead of typing,” Heredia said.
However, technology also connects people outside of school, according to Heredia, as her busy extracurricular activities limit her phone use, causing her to have less contact with her friends.
“I don’t use my phone a lot because I am doing so many other things, like work and sports, so I don’t have enough time to look at my phone. It affects me because that is how you communicate with your friends, so if I am not opening my phone I am not talking to my friends as much,” Heredia said.
Malfait urged students to try and find other activities with no technology to push themselves away from their phones.
“Finding other hobbies and other entertainment like reading and journaling is helpful to get off your phone because, for me, setting a screen time [limit] doesn’t really work,” Malfait said.
Additionally, Heredia advised students to look for entertainment alternatives as our society becomes more technologically dependent, reflecting on what she would do if she found herself becoming addicted.
“I would reduce my time [on screens]. Instead of watching a movie, I would probably open a book,” said Heredia.
Benton also understands that his job now means that he will be on a screen most of the day, which means he has to cut down on the screens he has for personal use.
“Whenever I am working, I am probably going to be on a screen. If I am on a screen all day, and I go home and I am on the screen all night, that is probably too much ….I just try to be a little more mindful about the screen I’m looking at, and then also eliminate the screen if I don’t need it,” Benton said.
Dillon agreed, warning students that they can never limit it entirely because in reality technology is inevitable.
“Be smart about it. We all have to remember what is in our control. We cannot control what our teachers assign in our classes, what apps you need, what homework you have,” Dillon said. “Control what you choose within reason, like if you unwind on Tiktok, set a certain amount of time so you don’t go down that rabbit hole. Set reminders so that you know you have to get off your phone. Decide what you want to expose yourself to and how much,” she added.
Benton advised students who want to get in control of their time with technology to start by recording their usage on every tech device they are using.
“Track it. Track your screen time. It is not just your phone, it is your computer, IPad, TV too. Start to track those things by turning on Screen Time. It’s like your health; when you track your health, you can see [how to improve],” Benton said.