Screen Addiction Questions and Answers

Although this is a cartoon, I'd say it is a pretty accurate representation of today's society. 


Screen Addiction Research Update

 My research has been going well so far, and I have found some helpful resources. The most successful part of my research has been finding articles for my topic. Even though my topic is not very well known about, some sources I have been using, such as Ebsco Host, have been very useful in finding articles that relate to my topic. The various phrases I searched yielded many results, and I had not had much luck finding articles before. Due to the fact that the source produced lots of useful articles, my research has been going well so far. I tried using Google Scholar and I found that the database was not very useful in finding information about my topic. Although I tried searching many phrases, I felt as though the database was not suited to my needs. Many articles would show up that contained either the word 'screen' or 'addiction', but were unrelated to my topic of screen addiction. I also attended a viewing of the documentary Screenagers at a local high school. Although I had high expectations for the film, I was disappointed as I knew a lot of the information that was discussed and had hoped to learn something new. 

This is reality for some screen addicted gamers. 
As for sources that have been suprisingly helpful, I have to go with people. When I went to the documentary screening, some people I talked to before the screening provided me with resources that were being handed out. I also learned about two new book titles from the documentary (one of the only pieces of information I got out of it), which I hope to read at least one of: The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr, and Mindful Tech: How to Bring Balance to our Digital Lives by David Levy. Here are links to the books: The Shallows: https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/0393339750 , Mindful Tech: https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Tech-Bring-Balance-Digital/dp/0300208316. One lady helping out with the screening told me about a class at the elementary school of the district where they taught the students to interact with each other. Knowing that technology has created a barrier for communication, I found the fact that this class is taught very interesting. 

As for my research question, I changed it from finding out the causes to screen addiction to what the effects of screen addiction are. There is more research about the effects of screen addiction than the causes, and I personally find the effects more interesting anyway. I am also figuring out how to educate others- specifically, familes- about screen addiction. There are many resources that exists- graphics, speakers, articles- that talk about screen addiction, yet I feel as though they are unknown. Here is an article I found to be very helpful, containing guidelines for the amount of screen time each age should be exposed to, as well as potential health risks. (You can click on PDF full text to read the article.)

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,custuid&custid=infohio&db=tfh&AN=95976721&site=ehost-live 

As for my smaller research questions, I have adapted them based on what the effects of screen addiction are, with topics ranging from 'does e-disicipline effect screen addiction?' to 'how does screen addiction affect children's minds?'. It was a bit of a struggle to come up with questions so far into my research (as I have learned a lot), but I managed to come up with new ones that fit my new essential question better. So far, most of the information I have found has been helpful, considering that my topic is not very widely known about. 

Continuing my Research on Screen Addiction

Screen Addiction Research Update

I am continuing my research on screen addiction for my capstone paper, and have continued reading a book I mentioned in the last blog post, which is Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids- and How to Break the Trance by Nicholas Kardaras. The book includes many personal accounts of families affected by screen addiction, as well as how screen addiction begins and its causes and effects. Many doctors and other professionals do not believe that screen addiction exists and that is is an actual disorder, but the signs are there. Take the documentary Screenagers, for example. Below is a trailer.

Screenagers is about a pediatrician mother of three who has a problem many parents today are facing: what cell phone to get for their oldest child. The said mother also notices how tech is taking control of her family, and her plan to stop it. I have not watched the documentary, but the trailer peaked my interest, as I felt as though the scenarios in the documentary were not unlike what happens in many households across the country. The documentary was also similar to some of the accounts in Karadaras' book, where families were being torn apart by screen addicted children and teenagers. Parents, too, can be addicted to screens, as is shown in an article by the The Huffington Post about a Chinese ad campaign entitled 'The Phone Wall,' which shows the impact a tech addicted parent can have on a family. The link is shown below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/powerful-ads-show-what-your-child-sees-when-youre-addicted-to-your-phone_us_559fd64be4b096729155ec27

I have not yet completely narrowed down exactly what my topic is, but I know it will have something to do with screen addiction. I have lots of questions about screen addiction, such as

-How can we get parents to recognize the dangers of too much screen time?

-What is the best way to educate the public about screen addiction?

-What is the best way to treat screen addiction at the early, intermediate and too late stages?

-Why is screen addiction caused?

I am still reading Glow Kids and plan to begin narrowing down my topic as I get further into reading the book and doing other research. There is still a lot of work to be done, such as narrowing down my list of questions to contain only relevant questions. Another task I have to complete is to come up with a declaration of research, which is a statement that says what I am researching, why I am researching it, and what I want to help myself and the reader understand. This will (hopefully) be present in the next post, at least in a rough draft stage.

Have a great rest of your day!

Introduction

           Research Topics Related to Technology

   

   If you search the words 'screen addiction' online, dozens of articles will show that screen addiction is in fact a real, ever present problem encroaching the world. You see how "Screen Addiction is Taking a Toll on Children" or "Screen Addiction is Damaging Kids' Brains" and most shockingly, "It's digital heroin: how screens turn kids into psychotic junkies." The terrifying part is that research backs up all three of the articles listed. If technology and screens are not as great as they seem, what else do we not know?

The three technology related topics I am interested in researching are:

     
1) Screen Addiction

        I am choosing to research screen addiction because of how relevant it is in everyday life. Everyday, we see teenagers, adults, young children, and everyone in between staring at a screen, be it that of a smartphone, tablet, gaming console or computer. The aspect that many do not realize is that it is possible to become addicted to the pull of the glowing screen. Screen addiction is referred to as 'electronic heroin,' as the brain scan of someone who is addicted to technology and a heroin addict look the same. When someone has an internet or gaming addiction, there is atrophy in the brain where processing occurs. China is the first country in the world to classify screen addiction as an illness, as is evident in the documentary Web Junkies. Below is the trailer for the documentary.

2) The Impact of Technology in Classrooms

         I am choosing to research the impact of technology in classrooms because many school systems, mine included, now have a one-to-one program, in which every student in a certain grade and up has a computer or tablet to use to aid them in the education process. When used properly and in small doses, technology can enrich a child's learning experience, and iPads and other tablets can be used to help students with disabilities communicate. Although many praise the use of technology in classrooms, I have found articles that prove that in some cases, the use of technology in classrooms is doing more to harm the education system rather than to help. In an article written for TIME Magazine by Nicholas Kardaras, the author of Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids- and How to Break the Trance states that "...over two hundred peer-reviewed studies point to screen time correlating to increased ADHD, screen addiction, increased aggression, depression, anxiety and even psychosis" (Karadaras). This shows that screens do not only have a negative impact in the classroom, but yet also in everyday life. Here is a link to the article: Impact of Technology in Schools.

3)  How Young is Too Young for the Use Technology
     This is yet another ever present topic in today's technology centered world. Children are becoming exposed to large amounts of technology at a younger and younger age, and some are using touchscreen devices as early as their first birthday. Although children should have a basic knowledge of how to use a touchscreen device at the proper age, extensive exposure at too young of an age can have consequences. Newborn to two years old is a pivotal age in which the child develops and in this phase of development, "human interaction, face-to-face time, language development and social-emotional learning are critical," according to an article by CBS News on early childhood development and technology. Technology can hinder the process of development and cause problems later in life such as obesity and sleep issues. When used in moderation at a young age, educational apps and programs can be helpful for skills that children need to learn, such as identifying shapes and colors. This is the CBS News article: Too Young for Technology.