Screen Time and Mental Health: What Parents Should Know
Let's be honest - technology use is unavoidable. It's a central part of everyday life. As a parent, it may be challenging to know when, how, or even if you should introduce electronic devices to your child. You might also hear conflicting messages: one expert might demonize all screen time, whereas another expert might insist it's educational. Meanwhile, you might be trying to make dinner or get through a difficult meltdown at the grocery store.
At Boreal Therapy Collective, we're not here to offer overly rigid rules or impose any moral judgment about how parents raise their children. We understand the complex reality of parenting in this digital world. However, we are here to help you understand how electronics and social media can impact your child's mental health and potentially magnify depression, social anxiety, sleep disorders, and other related concerns. By understanding brain development and knowing what's at stake, you can make more intentional choices with your family.
Electronics and Infancy: Guidelines During the First 1-18 Months
A baby's brain grows at an extraordinary rate - they rapidly form neural pathways at a pace that's never replicated again in later life. During this period, development is characterized primarily by human interaction, and this consists of facial expressions, soothing voices, responsive touch, and eye contact.
Infants exposed to frequent screen time may miss out on some of these nonverbal communication cues. Although a short video may not seem like much, research shows that continuous or early exposure may disrupt attention spans and disturb sleep cycles.
The good news is that babies are excellent at staying present and engaged with the world around them. They can "get lost" in gazing at a ceiling fan or looking at the trees from their car seat. Embracing stillness builds an important tolerance for low stimulation, and this is an important foundational skill that supports later stages of emotional regulation.
Electronics and Toddlerhood: Risks of Too Much Screen Time
There's no mistaking that toddlers live fully and vibrantly. They are unquestionably connected to the present moment, and they have no problem expressing their needs and emotions the moment those impulses arise. At this stage, movement is important - they need to be active in their environments, and they benefit from being engaged with their five senses.
At this age, digital technology has some risks. Fast-paced, brightly-coloured content designed for short attention spans does not necessarily align with how children develop.
Media can be overstimulating and even addictive - this can show up as tantrums when devices are taken away or a disinterest in open-ended play. Some parents also notice more violence or irritability that feels connected to excessive screen time. For this reason, it may be best to limit screen time and focus more on embracing physical activity, leisure time, and nature.
Electronics Through Early Childhood: How They Can Exacerbate Mental Health Problems
During early to middle childhood, kids really begin developing a key sense of who they are in the world. This represents a critical and fleeting window for forming social skills, self-esteem, and emotional resilience.
Some parents start to notice mental health issues emerge during this time. For example, you might note early anxiety or depressive symptoms. You might pick up on concerns about disordered eating, impulsivity, behavioural difficulties, bullying, or other interpersonal challenges. These may happen in adolescence, but they can also show up in childhood.
Some families also begin to acknowledge neurodivergence - autistic children or those with ADHD may be more sensitive to sensory overload. High-stimulation environments, including social media or other videos, can magnify behavioural meltdowns or emotional dysregulation. In these cases, the "screen" is both a trigger and a calming tool, which can create a challenging cycle for families to navigate.
That said, if screens substitute relationships or unstructured play, children risk losing meaningful opportunities to experience healthy boredom, practise conflict resolution with their family members and peers, and understand social nuances.
Introducing Social Media to Your Children: When Is the Right Time?
Many social media platforms prohibit children under 13 from using their content without parental consent. However, as we know, despite online privacy laws and a general push for more oversight, it's very easy for children to access platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram.
Unfortunately, there's not a "magic age" for introducing kids to social media. Instead of hard limits, it may be better to focus on engaging in ongoing conversation with your children. It's important for parents to deliberately spend time focussed on teaching digital literacy and emotional awareness before and after introducing social media.
It's shortsighted for a parent to frame all social media use as "bad," especially if it piques your child's interest. Instead, you want to foster critical thinking and self-regulation. For example, you might ask your child:
Why do you think people gravitate toward social media?
What risks are you aware of when it comes to engaging in social media?
What boundaries around social media feel reasonable to you?
How do you feel when you spend time online? Does it make you feel better or worse about yourself?
It's important for you to also model your own limits around digital devices. This may mean taking screen breaks together as a family, talking candidly about your own experiences online, and leaving phones out of bedrooms at night. Some adolescents may be ready for limited, supervised social media use, but others will certainly benefit from waiting longer. For neurodivergent youth, it's critical to consider how sensory sensitivity or impulsivity can impact how they navigate digital technology.
All things considered, the "right time" is less about age and more about emotional maturity and readiness. Technology does not have to be this inevitable "doom" of childhood - it can be a conscious, collaborative decision made within the family unit.
Therapy for Children, Young Adults, and Families in Fort McMurray
Parenting is undoubtedly challenging, and cell phones, social media, and the dramatic rise in technology use have shifted the standards over recent years. Young people, in particular, may be more prone to the negative effects of this phenomenon.
If you're concerned about your child's relationship with technology - or if you want to start setting healthy boundaries around screen time- we are here to support your efforts. We offer a variety of mental health services that can help your family, including play-based therapy, family therapy, and therapy for teens.
If you would like to move forward with our team, please click here to book your initial assessment.
