I was reading one of the issues on Room for Debate, and this one had to do with the Internet addiction for teens and its health threats, which I found to be irrelevant. Many parents nowadays are concerned about their teens always being hooked up on their screens, either on the phone or the television. These parents think that there is a health risk involved and so they tend to limit screen time and restrict a teen's time to socialize or to simply have fun.
I believe that restricting screen time from teens will only cause more problems, because teens will more than likely end up stressed out or pressured because they cannot have their usual fun time that could potentially relieve their stress. Restrictions can also lead to binging due to the long periods of restraint and that pressure accumulates until they find themselves at places where these restrictions don't usually apply, like at Grandma's. I feel much better and relaxed when I do get my unrestricted screen time after a really stressful day at school, because not only do I have fun watching television and playing video games with friends online, but I also do not have to worry about limitations. Do you think that these restrictions are necessary though?
-Andrew Ramos
I agree, parents don't seem to understand that our stress relief comes from technology. A lot kids have so much homework that they usually don't finish until eleven o’clock. Possibly even later. That makes it even harder to hang out with our friends at the park, mall, or any other place. Our phones and game consoles allow us to converse with our friends and have fun. I know that I would be really stressed out if I didn't get some time to relax. However, I can spend too much time on my phone like everyone else. I usually find myself distracted when I am doing homework that is somewhat difficult. I get frustrated and I need an outlet. Thirty to forty-five minutes later, I find myself immersed in my phone and still on the same question. Parents don't need to restrict kids phone time, but I do believe that it shouldn't be used when we have work to do.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you in that I believe screen time restrictions can be a good thing but your reasons are very justified. Technology may be a stress reliever but it transitions to become a distraction right after. For example, when we study, we take "quick" breaks on our phones in order to relieve some stress and pressure from studying. Suddenly, we realize that its been 30 minutes and we've been on our phones for too long. Restricted screen time can even encourage many to get out of the house and spend time with family and friends. I understand that we are usually too busy to get out the house but if you look at it, we spend as much time on our phones than we would if we went outside. Parents are only restricting screen times because we won't restrict it ourselves.
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