Roanoke, Va. – Most people could use a little time away from their phones. A new report from the Pew Research Center is diving into how screen time affects us and especially teens.
“It’s just everywhere,” Carlene Robinson, mother and grandmother said. “Even my youngest grandson, who’s only six months old, if he sees a phone he will actually reach for it just because that’s just he sees everybody on it and he’s kind of drawn to that, so it’s very concerning.”
Screen time is one more thing parents have to monitor in today’s age.
According to Pew Research Center’s latest report, 72% of U.S. teens said they often or sometimes feel peaceful when they don’t have their smartphone; 44% said it makes them feel anxious.
Half of parents said they have looked through their teen’s phone.
Nearly half of teens (46%) said their parent is at least sometimes distracted by their phone when they’re trying to talk to them.
Having technology at our fingertips isn’t a bad thing in some parents eyes; it can help build connections. Courtney Rocovich has a teen.
“I’m pretty liberal. I let her have it to a point,” Rocovich said. “My kid has to grow up and be able to navigate dangerous things on her own at some point, yeah.”
About half of parents limit the amount of time their teen can be on their phone, according to the report. Bridgette Coates is happy with her decision to keep her kids offline.
“They don’t really get routine screen time at all,” Coates said. “We’re probably in the minority, but it seems to work well. They both have great social skills and do well with talking with just about anybody.”