Are Our Kids ‘byte-ing’ Off More Than They Can Chew?

By Dr Michelle Reiss, GP & Lifestyle Medicine Physician

Reaching the point of engagement in a novel takes time, using imagination to plan a game with a friend takes practise and skill development, applying effort and physical endurance to play outside takes experience. Are we deriving our kids of these essential human qualities?

The majority of Gen-X or even early Gen-Y parents (myself included) — with current school-aged children — were born and raised in a time without mobile phones, social media or instant information at our fingertips.

Back in those days, ‘2020’ sounded space-aged. But here  we are, living the reality of our imaginations of three or four decades ago. The trouble with travelling at lightspeed through digital advancements, and with technology bombarding us so constantly, we’ve had little or no time to prepare ourselves for the drastic lifestyle change that digital screens, in all their forms, have brought to our households.

Of course, there are undeniable benefits of the digital age, but the purpose of this article, from a lifestyle medicine physician’s perspective, is to assist in creating an awareness of the ‘auto- pilot’ habits we have created with technology; habits triggered by instant gratifications, desires to follow the path of least resistance, and peer pressure.

Our desires to ‘be connected’, ‘not miss out’, or as it’s referred, ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out), has had a rapid but insidious  impact on how much we move, how often kids play, and even  the enjoyment of the simple things. Moreover, there’s a direct correlation with the rise in levels of fatigue and chronic disease throughout our communities.

These impacts may be recognisable to those of us in Gen-X, in contrast to our own upbringing. But these digital devices have been part of the Gen-Z world since birth and, without guidance and teaching, Gen-Z will have no point of reference for a screen- free existence.

As with all addictions, instant satisfaction and stimulation leads to firing of neurotransmitters in the reward centres of our brains. Digital connectedness, whether through social media, YouTube,  or online gaming is no different, and the earlier in life  a child experiences these reward pathways, the more entrenched they become in brain structure. If this sense of instantaneous reward occurs habitually, the less likely children are to experience stimulation or excitement through slower paced, less intense stimuli.

I’ll explain more simply using the trifecta of ‘excitement’, ‘speed’ and ‘least effort’: if a young child is frequently exposed  to the excitement of digital connectedness and the instant speed with which that gratification is delivered, it will be very difficult for them to gain excitement or fulfilment from bushwalks, riding their bike or reading a book. Add to that, the natural tendency for humans to want to be sedentary and conserve energy, and you have the trifecta for addiction, and the ultimate impact on poor lifestyle.

Our kids are sitting far more than any child in previous generations. They are finding it more and more difficult to use imagination, to engage in face-to-face play, or to find fulfilment  in mindless self-occupation. No wonder ‘attention deficit’ diagnoses are on the rise in a world where rapid gratifications and fast-moving attention-grabbers are influencing little brains that are not yet able to self-regulate.

Reaching the point of engagement in a novel takes time, using imagination to plan a game with a friend takes practise and skill development, applying effort and physical endurance to play outside takes experience. Are we depriving our kids of these essential human qualities?

Dare we consider that as adults and parents in our modern society, we have a responsibility to guide our kids in self- regulation until their brains are developed enough to manage themselves?

If this article has resonated with you thus far, I encourage you to consider the following ‘screen rules’ for home:

• Online or screen games for restricted time periods on weekends only: this will see our kids develop perseverance by waiting, resilience by not needing instant gratifiers, skills in prioritising, fulfilment in family time, and more time to play in fresh air.

• Restricted time periods for screen usage: lengthy screen time will see our kids develop short-sightedness (myopia) requiring glasses or contact lenses, so keep screen time to one to two hours maximum, and allow outdoor time for their developing eyes to focus on things afar. Restricting usage time will also reduce anxiety, interrupt addiction neurotransmitters, and have musculo-skeletal benefits.

• No phones in bedrooms: aside from the obvious reduced exposure to sexting and inappropriate communication behind closed doors, keeping phones out of bedrooms will assist with keeping kids more family-orientated, improve sleeping patterns, reduce fatigue, and hopefully, allow for less sedentary behaviour and create a definite distinction between ‘down-time’ and stimulation time. And don’t fall for the ‘alarm’ excuse… $5 alarm clocks work just as effectively.

• Have a central charging station where all phones go after 8 pm: this rule clearly gives the message about who is in charge in the house, that family time is valued above external engagement, and assists in building self-regulation (yes, for parents and kids).

In my practice, I see many young patients brought in by their parents with fatigue, depression, anxiety, poor school performance or bullying. In many cases, screen-time is a significant contributing factor to these symptoms.

We cannot be complacent in the IT age in which we currently find ourselves. Digital usage has morphed our household habits without us even recognising the impact. I challenge you to take a step back, review your own household rules and turn-off the ‘auto-pilot’ habits for the benefit of the whole family.

There is no mistaking the incredible advancements that technology has brought our society in such a short period of time, and with these advancements, we can unintentionally place our digital devices on a pedestal.

Without realising, we place undeserved value and importance on a hand-held device as if it was our very lifeline.

As a society, as parents and as families we need to accept that we may have misplaced our value of what’s truly important and make some cognitive efforts to reconnect with one another and enjoy the things we’ve been missing in our own backyards.