Alberta parents still have to step up to protect their kids from the harms of excessive cellphone use despite this fall’s new ban on cellphones in schools, say researchers at an upcoming panel.
About 180 people will be at the Telus World of Science in Edmonton this Sept. 23 for a panel discussion on the province’s new ban on personal electronic devices (including laptops, cellphones, and smartwatches) in schools.
The province rolled out a new ban on said devices (hereafter referred to as cellphones) in Alberta schools last Sept. 1, citing concerns that the devices could harm the education and mental health of students. The ban restricts students from using cellphones during instructional time, but allows school boards to authorize their use for health and educational reasons.
Staff scientist Kate Collins said the Telus World of Science was organizing this panel on the ban as part of its Science On Tap series, which typically sees guests chat with researchers about a topic over alcoholic drinks. This particular talk will have tea and snacks instead of alcohol as staffers wanted to open it up to youth. Panellists will discuss the latest research on the effects of screen time (computer, television, and cellphone use) on child development and take questions from the audience.
Too much screen time
Cellphones are ubiquitous amongst today’s youth, noted David Chorney, an associate professor with the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta and one of the panellists for the Science On Tap talk. A study of 264 Edmonton Catholic Schools Grade 5 students he published last March showed that 54 per cent owned a cellphone, with some having owned one since Grade 1.
“There’s a huge addictive component to owning a cellphone,” he said, and a Grade 1 student is unlikely to have the self-control needed to regulate its use.
Researchers have found cellphone use by students to be linked to increased risk of depression, reduced sleep quality, and cyberbullying, said Tracy Pham, panellist and registered psychologist with Mosaic Psychology. At the same time, they can also help students access online resources to support their learning.
A 2022 research review by the Canadian Paediatric Society found that while screen time could enhance youth education and well-being if used for video calls or interactive activities (such as a sing-along), excessive screen time was associated with worse emotional self-regulation, lower reading skills, and more sleeping difficulties.
Chorney said most of the youths he surveyed in his study were not using their cellphones for phone calls, with the top two uses being games and texting. He believed cellphones simply were not needed in elementary school, as everything they were being used for could be done through other technologies or techniques.
Chorney said he believed giving children unrestricted access to a cellphone was bad parenting, as it put kids at risk of personality disorders, sextortion, and suicide. He said the province’s ban on cellphones in schools was long overdue, and predicted that it would lead to more focused students, less cyberbullying, and more socialization.
Parents step up
The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that children under two not have any screen time apart from video calls with caring adults, as there was no evidence to support introducing technology at that age. Parents should limit children aged 2-to-5 to one hour of screen time a day, and not allow screen time within an hour before bedtime.
Chorney and Pham said parents still have to regulate their kids’ use of cellphones and other devices outside of school. They encouraged parents to be role models by not having their phones out at dinnertime and keeping them out of the bedroom at bedtime.
“As a parent, you have the right to take the phone away, and you should be doing that,” Chorney said.
The Science On Tap talk runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 23. Tickets range from $6.30 to $10. Visit telusworldofscienceedmonton.ca for details.
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