Cellphone or No Cellphone? Watch Videos or Not? For Parents of Pre-teens and Teens, Those Are (Some of) The Questions
/As many – perhaps event most – parents of pre-teens and teens struggle with if, when and how to permit the use of mobile phones, decisions range from giving in to their use to outright bans, and just about every variation between those approaches.
Now, something resembling an “official” guidance has been issued that focuses on videos, from the American Psychological Association. How parents, educators, and others with an interest in how to navigate these unsettled and unsettling waters will react will unfold in the months ahead, in Connecticut and across the country.
In response to the increasing volume and accessibility of video content for youth on streaming channels and various online platforms, the American Psychological Association in November issued its first ever set of recommendations to help parents, policymakers and tech companies empower teens to manage their viewing habits.
“Research consistently shows that video content, and the platforms that host it, have the potential to help or harm teens,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “It is the shared responsibility of video platforms, content creators, parents, caregivers, educators, policymakers and the technology industry to create an environment where youth can learn and express themselves safely online.”
The APA Recommendations for Healthy Teen Video Viewing summarizes the scientific research on adolescents’ video viewing habits to offer steps that can be taken immediately by parents, youth or educators, as well as recommendations for substantial changes by policymakers and technology industry professionals.
In Connecticut, the recommendations arrive at a time when the use of cellphones in schools is being actively debated. In August, the Connecticut State Board of Education approved a new recommendation for Connecticut public schools: cell phones should not be used at all during the school day of elementary and middle school students, while cell phone use in high schools should be limited.
“Technology, when used purposefully, can enhance learning and connection, but we must also protect our students from the potential negative impacts of excessive and unrestricted use,” said Erin Benham, acting chair of the state Board of Education, this summer. The Board’s policy “can help schools strike that balance, supporting students in a way that prepares them for success in learning and in life,” he added.
The new APA report, issued just three months later, recommends educating adolescents so they can be more selective regarding the videos they view. It notes that videos can “assist with homework, teach new skills or hobbies, or provide insights into different cultures and experiences.” By being taught video literacy in schools at all levels, teens can expand their knowledge and abilities while resisting manipulative platform features designed to prolong engagement and profit from their attention.
The report also calls for tech companies to modify the built-in features of their platforms that can impact adolescent well-being. Platforms that recommend content to youth, switch rapidly between short-form videos and autoplay videos to extend viewing times may magnify the effects of harmful video content and contribute to maladaptive viewing habits in youth, according to the report.
Other recommendations from the report include:
Limit exposure to content that encourages violent or risky behaviors and/or reinforces negative stereotypes, especially on platforms that allow users to share content or add comments or “likes” that may endorse harmful behaviors.
Guide adolescents to choose content based on quality and accuracy, especially when evaluating health-related information by creators who are not licensed health professionals.
Encourage video content that allows adolescents to develop healthy relationship skills.
Monitor, and consider limiting, adolescents’ exposure to some influencers. Adolescents may develop emotional attachments or one-sided relationships with influencers, which may make them more susceptible to influencer-driven advertising.
Consider the time that adolescents spend viewing video content so that they do not miss out on activities critical for adolescent development such as sleep, exercise, hobbies and in-person social interactions.
Encourage access to video content that promotes empathy, learning, emotional well-being and joy.
Teach adolescents about false, damaging or biased information and other risks introduced by content generated by artificial intelligence.
Limit exposure to advertisements and encourage ad-free content on platforms used by adolescents.
The Connecticut Board’s policy guidance calls on middle schools to focus on removing cellphones throughout the school day because the age group is “particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of excessive personal technology use and has a difficult time controlling their impulses. ” It does not recommend the collection of cellphones from students while in school.
As with APA’s previous Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence, the report notes that their recommendations may not apply equally to all youth as adolescents mature at different rates. And while this research is based on hundreds of thousands of adolescents throughout the world, the recommendations note that there are fewer studies based on teens with disabilities, mental health conditions, and/or minoritized racial, ethnic, sexual or gender identities.
Parents and caregivers can help the adolescents in their lives minimize risks from viewing online videos, the report points out, by setting clear expectations, rules and limitations on video viewing, as well as engaging in positive, supportive discussions where teens can share their thoughts and reactions to content.
“Given the amount of time youth spend online and the importance of autonomy to adolescent decision making and development, it is not possible for parents to monitor everything their children watch online,” said Evans. “We hope these recommendations will motivate regulators, policymakers and tech companies to take meaningful steps to safeguard adolescents from harmful content and platform features that promote overuse.”
