Finding Balance in a Digital Age

As most people grow increasingly reliant on smartphones and digital technology, should we rethink how our children engage with these devices? Children often emulate their parents, making it crucial for adults to model intentional behavior around screens. Research shows a sharp rise in screen time, with a 2025 study revealing that 41% of U.S. teens (ages 13–18) spend over 8 hours daily on entertainment media, up from 7 hours 22 minutes in 2019 to 8 hours 39 minutes in 2021. This trend, amplified during and after COVID-19, raises concerns about developmental and health impacts, including sleep disturbances, behavioral challenges, impaired executive function, increased sedentary behavior, and vision issues. However, high-quality content and passive viewing can offer benefits, such as improved motor skills from gaming, enhanced cognitive abilities through digital literacy and creativity, engagement via educational apps, and emotional growth from certain social connections.

With screen use on the rise, parents are encouraged to actively engage in their children’s device use, fostering purposeful interaction and awareness of time spent to balance risks and benefits.