Not all technology is bad for kids, journalist and author says: 'I'm much more appreciative of screen time than I thought I would be'
For the last few years, psychologists and social media experts have been sounding the alarm on the harmful effects of excessive screen time.
In his 2023 report "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation," U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy named social media as one of the main reasons young people feel more alone.
"Several examples of harms include technology that displaces in-person engagement, monopolizes our attention, reduces the quality of our interactions, and even diminishes our self-esteem," Murthy wrote.
In his best-selling book "The Anxious Generation," New York University social psychologist Jonathan Haidt makes the case that technology rewires young peoples' brains and leads to anxiety and depression.
Being cautious about how much access to technology kids have is probably smart. However, there are ways to utilize screens that aren't harmful.
In her new book "Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age," journalist Amanda Hess outlines some of her more surprising revelations about technology and parenting.
"I'm much more appreciative of screen time than I thought I would be," she told CNBC Make It.
Television played a crucial role in helping Hess figure out what to do with her then three-year-old son after he underwent a complicated surgery. The procedure was "really difficult for him physically and emotionally," she says.
Initially, she was unsure whether letting him veg out in front of the TV was unhealthy. But a psychologist assured Hess that at least while he was in recovery, a little more TV time than usual was totally OK.
"That was a tool that anyone else would use when they get out of the hospital and they're feeling crummy, to just watch a lot of your favorite TV shows, and so that was really helpful for us," she says.
It's not uncommon for Hess to let her son watch television when she needs to do household chores or hop on a work call.
"We have a TV party in my house," she says.
While excessive screen time can shorten your attention span and lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, not all media consumption is bad.
Longer form content that encourages you to engage can help you think more deeply, psychologist Gloria Mark told CNBC Make It.
"A lot of things on social media and things we find in short-form content are designed to shock us or to appeal to very basic emotions, like surprise or anger or [humor]," Mark said
"These basic emotions keep us on a superficial level when we're looking at this information, as opposed to if you pick up a book or you read a long-form article, then you have time to deliberate and you have time to do deeper processing of it."
Mark offers up some tips for how to spend more time engaging with longer form content:
Remember, while it's good to be aware of the kind of content your kids are watching, it's also OK to give yourself a break and have, as Hess might call it a "TV party."
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