Screen-Time Epidemic in High School

Screen time is taking over the lives of many high school students and America’s youth as a whole. In America, children ages 8-12 are spending an average of five hours a day in front of their screen, while teens spend an average of 7.5 hours a day on screens, according to Common Sense Media. This generation has become the generation of technology, and as many adults like to say, the generation glued to their phones. Unfortunately, they have a point–high school students are glued to their phones for hours of the day. 

Excessive screen time is controversial because of the health risks involved. According to studies, young people who spend seven or more hours a day on screens are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety. In addition, young people who spend seven or more hours a day on screens are more easily distracted, less emotionally stable, and experience more difficulty socializing. 

Teenagers are at the biggest risk for this happening, and Scituate High School is no exception. Based on a sample survey of 80 SHS students, the average screen time at SHS is dangerously close to the US average of 7.5 hours. From our survey, SHS students are spending an average of 6.3 hours on their phones per day. 

Although some students and teachers embrace technology because it is important and growing in this generation, others try to resist it. You see students in the hall walking with their phones in their faces. During study halls or H block, students use their phones to connect socially online. While teachers and administrators try to crack down on cell phone usage, as of now, it seems inevitable–teenagers can’t resist screen time. 

Ellie Foley and Katherine Bernier