This piece is a writing exercise that was composed as a grad school assignment while I was getting my Master of Science in Health Communications.

To: Parents of Children and Adolescents
From: Northwestern School of Communications
Date: July 4, 2021
Subject: How screen time can affect your child’s sleep and their weight

There are many pros and cons to letting your kids have access to media and screen time, but there are two negative impacts that parents should be aware of in particular: the impact on their sleep and the impact on their weight. This memo will help you understand why and how media can have these negative effects, as well as provide recommendations to help you guide your child’s media use that encourages healthy choices.

Effect on Sleep:
Research has consistently shown that when children watch TV, play games, use their phones, or any other form of screen time before bed, the blue light and mental stimulation can cause kids to have less and lower quality sleep. Sleep is extremely important for children and adolescents, and poor sleep can have serious consequences for their health. Poor quality sleep as a result of too much screen time can lead to:
● Worse performance in school (LeBourgeois, 2017)
● Increased risk of obesity
● Increase risk for depression and depressive symptoms (Li et al., 2019)
● Increase of risky behaviors in teens such as binge drinking, smoking, fighting, and contemplating suicide (Tarokh, 2016)

Most people are aware that blue light from screens can disrupt sleep patterns, but studies have shown that blue light can have an even greater effect on children than it does on adults. Although our electronic devices have become a big part of our lives, talk to your children and adolescents about the importance of putting away their devices at night before sleeping. You can help your child or adolescent get better sleep by removing screens from their bedrooms, cutting off wifi at a certain time at night, or taking away devices an hour before bedtime.

Effect on Weight:
While you might think that screen time increases childhood obesity because it takes them away from exercise, research suggests that there are actually other reasons why screen time is an important factor for your child’s weight (Marshall et al., 2004). As mentioned earlier, one way in which media use can make your children more likely to gain weight is through poor sleep.

In addition, studies have shown that children are particularly susceptible to digital marketing and advertising, and the advertisements and product placements that your children are viewing encourage them to choose sugary, low-nutrient food that can contribute to obesity. In as little as 30 seconds, food manufacturers can convince your child to prefer fast food restaurants, choose the sugary cereal at the grocery store, or pester you for a candy they’ve never tried before (Borzekowski, D. L., & Robinson, T. N., 2001).

To help combat this, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends teaching your child to be critical and thoughtful about the media they see. Here are a few steps you can take to limit your child’s exposure to junk food marketing, and what to discuss with your child to teach them media literacy (Radesky, 2020):

• Talk to your children about privacy online and how location sharing and other data collection can allow children to be targeted by marketers
• Make sure the devices your child uses have privacy settings activated to avoid being tracked and targeted
• Create a family media plan that intentionally uses media options that have as little advertising as possible, and limit data collection
• Check in with your school administrators about their use of technology tools and their privacy policies for devices that children may use
• Have conversations with your child about the marketing you see in your media. Point out how advertising might be influencing your child, ask them questions when they ask for a product or see an entertaining advertisement, and be critical of media in general. This topic can also be approached differently for older children and adolescents, because social media is another place where marketing takes place. Have a conversation with your teenager about influencers and social media sponsorships that might be promoting unhealthy products. Make sure that your child understands that these marketing techniques are trying to persuade them to spend money and make unhealthy choices.

Summary
Media is an important part of modern life, even for our children, and it’s unrealistic to expect anyone to avoid technology completely, nor should it be encouraged, because media can have benefits if used correctly. It can be a valuable tool to help our children learn about the world and connect with others. However, if used incorrectly, it can have significant negative effects on your child’s weight and their sleep. Children are particularly susceptible to the causes of these problems, which is why these particular issues affect many children today. In order to avoid the negative effects of media and screen time on your children, please talk to your child about the importance of turning off their devices and avoiding screens right before bedtime, and if possible, implement rules to keep their devices out of the bedroom. Also, have conversations with your child about the marketing they might be encountering in their media, and make sure they understand the importance of privacy and avoiding information tracking online. Adding a few simple rules to your family’s media habits can minimize some of the harmful effects of screen time on your child.

References

Borzekowski, D. L., & Robinson, T. N. (2001). The 30-second effect: an experiment revealing the impact of television commercials on food preferences of preschoolers. J Am Diet Assoc, 101(1), 42-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(01)00012-8
LeBourgeois, M. K., Hale, L., Chang, A. M., Akacem, L. D., Montgomery-Downs, H. E., & Buxton, O. M. (2017). Digital Media and Sleep in Childhood and Adolescence. Pediatrics, 140(Suppl 2), S92-S96. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1758J
Li, X., Buxton, O. M., Lee, S., Chang, A. M., Berger, L. M., & Hale, L. (2019). Sleep mediates the association between adolescent screen time and depressive symptoms. Sleep Med, 57, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.01.029
Marshall, S. J., Biddle, S. J., Gorely, T., Cameron, N., & Murdey, I. (2004). Relationships between media use, body fatness and physical activity in children and youth: a meta-analysis. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 28(10), 1238-1246. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802706
Radesky, J., Chassiakos, Y. L. R., Ameenuddin, N., Navsaria, D., Council On, C., & Media. (2020). Digital Advertising to Children. Pediatrics, 146(1). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-1681
Tarokh, L., Saletin, J. M., & Carskadon, M. A. (2016). Sleep in adolescence: Physiology, cognition and mental health. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 70, 182-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.008