Teachers Share What Screams "Unlimited Screen Time"

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2 days ago

Recently, Reddit user u/itwasobviouslyburke turned to the Ask Teachers subreddit to ask, "What screams 'I have unlimited screen time' in students?"
Their post continues: "I'm especially interested in the elementary/middle school teachers' [opinions] on what behaviors you notice in kids these days that make it glaringly obvious they have constant screen access. Do you feel [the constant screen access] exacerbates executive dysfunction?"
While screens aren't exactly new — I mean, almost everyone's grown up watching television — they're not quite the same as they used to be, either. In the words of Reddit user u/Working_Early, "30 years ago you didn't have a TV in your pocket that you could play video games on, and have an ever-present social square."
Back view of two kids sitting on floor watching TV showing horror movie about zombies in cozy retro living room with plants and posters on wall, and old-fashioned gaming console below TV screen
Putting on a TV show can be a huge help for parents who just need a break, but too much screen time has a significant effect on kids' cognitive ability as they grow older. Teachers answering u/itwasobviouslyburke's question had a lot of insight on the matter, so here are their most interesting responses:
"It's funny; I was just talking about the Chromebooks with my co-teacher. This year, if we had a little extra time at the end of the lessons, I'd give the kids a bit of free time. I realized the kids were always going on the Chromebooks with headphones."
"Free time [in my classroom] is always without screens. Kids have imagination still, they should use it. Honestly, it enhances the quality of one's life to have a playful imagination, be able to imagine with friends, and play out little kid drama."
"Sleeping all the time because they were up all night gaming or scrolling."
"I teach Pre-k, and the number of parents [who] are shocked by [bad] behaviors because 'They never do this at home!' Well, at home they never have to interact with anyone because they're always staring at a screen, sooooo..."
"My [middle schoolers] are gonna cry today: NO CHROMEBOOKS WHILE WE WATCH A MOVIE THE REST OF THE WEEK. (It's testing week.) I removed screens for the rest of the week due to a student calling me a literal slur over it. Hard R."
"Yesterday we had a water day at my school in the afternoon. They had these huge inflatables, but they were all wet rides like a bouncy house with water, a giant water slide, etc. They also had lots of water-related games. If I was a kid, I would have played without stopping. Several of our students were simply not able to play."
"High school teacher here: [students assume] that they know so much more about technology and computers than adults, [but] really they just know more about crappy social media apps and some about web use. They have no clue how to save a file to a specific location or use a simple spreadsheet."
"[Saying] 'My hand hurts' [while] trying to write one paragraph or cut a square with scissors... These are second graders."
"Parroting video phrases (especially ones that are above their maturity level) and telling me they are bored within seconds of downtime. The kids don't know what to do with themselves without an iPad."
"Watch how they act when their access to computers/phones/iPads is cut off. We had a major internet outage: no signal and no Wi-Fi. The kids with decent parents groaned, pouted for a minute, and found something else to do. The kids with unlimited screen time had a complete meltdown for hours."
"To me, it screams apathy. The ones [who] don't have a screen in their face are the kids [who] are capable of critical thinking and engaging in learning. The others can't focus for more than five minutes without finding some kind of dopamine hit from a Chromebook game or their phones."
"The ones [who] talk constantly. They watch these streamers [and] reaction videos in which the narrator never stops talking."
"Inability to separate from a device without melting down. Inability to socialize appropriately with adults or other children. Lower academic performance. Sleepy. Unable to regulate emotions. Developmentally behind in general."
"The ones who are bored every recess and won't touch any of the playground equipment [or] gear — just complain the whole time that they're bored. Also, the ones who super struggle to engage in quiet, independent activity that does not involve a screen."
"It's bad enough with adults but everything is so much more intense when you're a kid. I'm addicted for sure. Can't imagine how strong the addiction is for them."
"I teach middle school. Significantly reduced attention span is a big indicator, and so is total desensitization to racism, sexism, violence, and sex."
From a parent: "I'm trying so hard to keep my toddler son's life as screen-free as possible and the number one obstacle to that is my own mindless reach for my phone any time I sit down."
"Those [who] can't make it 10-15 minutes into a movie. Movie day at the end of the year was such a reward when I was in school (and I actually remember a lot from watching those films in a critical way). I have so many kids who genuinely cannot sit still or stay off their phone/laptop for more than 15 minutes. These are seniors by the way."
"Not thinking to read written instructions."
"Middle school: some are so addicted to staring at a screen they look at you like you did horrible violence to them when you flip the laptop closed. You've told them to close it nicely and they just CANNOT detach from the screen, so you walk over and close it and they lose it!"
"Screaming and punching tables every time they're asked to do work pencil-and-paper instead of on a computer or even merely to just put a computer away. Yes, I have a student who's really like this. And yes, they are too old for tantrums. They're 11."
And finally: "I remember in 2011 going to my friend's school where they gave everyone a MacBook and unfettered access to the internet. I was blown away at how little they did. I went to every class with him and they were so wild compared to my high school where you couldn't have your phone out."
If you're a teacher or a parent with an observation about children and screen time — whether they're your student, your kid, or your kid's friend — feel free to comment about it down below. I'm interested to hear the conversation!