The use of electronic devices among children is on the rise. According to a survey by Paulus et al., the average child spends over 7 hours per day using screens (645). This time could have been spent sleeping, reading a book, or playing outside. Whether it is cyberbullying or acts of physical aggression, the negative impacts of children’s screen time are everywhere to be seen. Electron screens are making children less social and influencing them to become obese. Children are becoming less active in the bedroom and spend their time sedentary with electronics. The purpose of this is to shed some light on how screen time is affecting the youth.
Screen time comes up a lot in conversations about technology and its effects on kids. Screen time is any time a child spends looking at a screen, whether it is a TV, video game console, or phone. It includes not just when the child is actively playing games or watching shows but also when they are passively looking at their screens. For instance, when they scroll through Instagram on their phone while doing homework or waiting for dinner to cook. When people talk about how much screen time is okay for kids, it is essential to remember that there are different kinds of screen time. For example: if one is sitting down with their kid to watch an old movie together on DVD. That is different from letting them sit in front of the TV all day while working around the house without interacting with them.
There are many reasons why screen time on children is a problem. Studies have shown that when children spend too much time in front of screens, they become more aggressive and less empathetic (Wong et al. 334). They also tend to be less physically active, which can lead to weight gain or other health issues down the road. However, the most pressing concern is what happens when kids are exposed to violent or inappropriate material online or through their devices. They can be traumatized by images or experiences they should never have seen in their childhoods.
In addition, screen time can harm sleep. It is because of its ability to keep kids awake longer than they should be. They easily get sucked into whatever they are watching or playing (Lissak 156). Due to problems such as waking up during the middle of the night and being unable to fall back asleep, children may endure physical pain and morning irritability.
Moreover, it makes them feel anxious and stressed. When they are on their phones or tablets, they constantly connect with people online and get their feelings hurt by other users. It can cause them to feel like they are never good enough or that they do not fit in with other people’s beauty standards or intelligence. Screen time further causes child’s grades to drop because they are not reading books anymore; they are watching videos online instead. It can lead to lower grades which will cause them not to get into a good college when they grow up.
In conclusion, screen time impacts children’s brains as no other activity does. Human brains are wired for learning and growth; when kids engage in activities that challenge them mentally and physically over time, they grow more robust and intelligent. However, when they spend too much time looking at screens, especially during their formative years, their brains do not get the same stimulation as other activities, leading to severe problems later in life.
The target audience of my research remix is the parents, teenagers, and teachers of children in grades 5-12. This audience must be educated about the risks of excessive screen time for children so that they may take steps to mitigate such impacts. Parents can set rules for their children regarding screen time and limit it themselves when it is not being used appropriately by their children. The teenagers may not have any say in this matter but can start using less screen time and encourage their friends to do so. The teachers can also set rules for their students regarding screen time and encourage them to use it responsibly.
The purpose of this speech I produced was to persuade readers to limit screen time for their children. The text was written based on research and facts. I am trying to persuade the readers that screen time is not suitable for children because it causes them to develop bad habits such as lack of sleep and unhealthy diet. It will harm their health later on in life. By limiting screen time, people can prevent these adverse effects from happening. I believe children should be encouraged to play outside and engage in physical activity, rather than glued to the television or computer screen.
I decided to make a persuasive speech to convince my audience that screen time is bad for children and should be limited. I knew I had to choose an audience that would be receptive to this message, so I chose parents and teenagers. Parents would be more likely to be concerned about their children’s well-being, while teenagers would be able to understand the importance of limiting their own screen time. Teachers were also included in my chosen audience because they can influence their students’ behavior by setting limits on them and making informed decisions about how much screen time their children get each day.
The audience has certain generic expectations for this kind of text. They expect it to be informative but also personal and engaging. The conventions of the genre include writing in a formal tone and using academic language. In addition, I cite the sources throughout the text so that readers can follow along easily. I complied with these expectations by writing formally and citing my sources throughout the text. I purposefully violated these expectations by writing a speech instead of an essay or research paper because I wanted to allow my audience to hear my thoughts on this topic first-hand. I spoke with confidence and poise as if I were delivering a speech rather than reading from a script or paper, which is what most people assume when discussing something like screen time. People tend to listen more closely when speaking with confidence and poise.
The readers of this text should respond by acknowledging the consequences of excessive screen time for kids. I want to convince my audience that it is vital to limit the number of time kids spend in front of screens and that there are many ways parents can help their children become more active. I tried to use ethos by citing reputable sources and using statistics from these sources throughout the text. It helps establish credibility with readers, so they know that what they are reading is not just something made up by someone who does not know what they are talking about. In addition, I tried to use logos with statistics and facts about how much time kids spend on screens every day. Moreover, I used a tone that was serious but also lighthearted so that readers would not feel overwhelmed with information or feel like they were being lectured.
Works Cited
Lissak, Gadi. “Adverse physiological and psychological effects of screen time on children and adolescents: Literature review and case study.” Environmental Research 164, 2018, pp. 149-157.
Paulus, Frank W., et al. “Internet gaming disorder in children and adolescents: a systematic review.” Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 60.7, 2018, pp. 645-659.
Wong, Chee Wai, et al. “Digital screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic: risk for a further myopia boom.” American journal of ophthalmology 223, 2021, pp. 333-337.