OPINION: Providing our kids with alternatives to screen use

Here is something that we can all agree on.

Kaylee Brewster’s article in the Feb. 2 Lewiston Tribune about the use of cellphones in Idaho schools should make the Tribune proud. Tip of the hat to both the paper and the reporter on an excellent piece. The accolade is deserved. And so was the action by Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield’s and Gov. Brad Little’s “Phone Free Learning Act” urging school districts to adopt a policy restricting cell phones in public schools. This is an unmitigated home run.

In the governor’s proclamation, I especially like the “WHEREAS, I (Little) join many leaders, including the Superintendent of Public Instruction and my legislative partners in recognizing cellphone use is happening in schools and that cellphones and social media present negative effects on student mental health, development, and learning.”

It was no one’s intent (at least that we know of) to develop the screen in order to hinder children’s brains and social interaction or that of adults. Why, then, is our state government basically mandating the exclusion of cellphones from schools?

Because the governor is right: Cellphones, as the latest use of screens, are impacting our kids (and probably their parents before them) in a destructive way. And it is not limited to “Shutting down the noise” as the Tribune’s headline suggested.

The “noise” in the headline is the number of waking hours of a kid’s time that screens occupy. In the United States, the average American spends seven hours per day, or 44% of their waking hours, on a screen. Teenagers spend 50% of their waking time on the screen.

So what? Why can’t kids and adults spend half their lives looking at a screen? Because overdosing on screen time harms your body, your mind and your sociability. Physically, it affects your eyes, creates insomnia and gives you headaches. Mentally, it reduces your attention span, affects your cognitive development and impacts your ability to learn. Socially, it makes you more of a loner and deprives you of social interaction. There is an increasing realization that excessive screen time leads to kids and adults spending way too much time alone — to the point where being alone becomes the norm of their life and talking to others becomes weird.

Says who? Well, just about everybody who has looked at the impact of screen time and cellphone usage on children and adults. You can check out the resources at the end of the article, or read the Idaho Department of Education information page (sde.idaho.gov/topics/cell-phone-policy). Most articles about cellphone usage and screen time start out with “Everyone agrees ... ”

Unlike death and taxes, there is something individuals and organizations can do about screen addiction. The question is not about limiting screen time; it is really about increasing experiences that don’t involve screens.

Here are seven simple things that adults and children can do:

Avoid the cellphone when with other people, especially when eating.

Support nonscreen, organized activities such as sports, 4-H, FFA and church.

Take children to unorganized play with other kids at parks, camping, skating and bouncing venues.

Buy kids socially interactive toys, such as board (not video) games.

Kids should not have cellphones when they go to their bedrooms.

Create screen-free zones: meals, family outings, trips and movies (a very different type of screen).

Teach children about healthy screen-use habits, the potential risks of excessive screen time and strategies for managing their screen time.

The challenge is to find activities that kids find attractive, that are interactive and don’t involve screens, and that give them the space to grow without organizing their every moment. As a community, what can we do for our future adults?

Generally, our towns have sports fields that cater to organized team sports, which provide a tremendous resource for our community. I have noticed, especially in northern areas with cold weather, like ours, that communities also have enclosed, multiactivity, youth recreation centers. They offer opportunities to be active year-round, with offerings for individuals and groups of all ages. Imagine a sort of university student rec center but for kids in elementary and high school, well-monitored but where kids can choose their own activities and meet other kids.

Imagine the interaction we see at the local swimming pool in the summer but having that year-round. Imagine the freedom that kids learn on their own in places, such as bouncing gyms and skating rinks. Activities could include a climbing wall, ping pong tables, fuzzball, air hockey, basketball hoops, pickleball and badminton courts, racquetball courts, pool tables, fitness equipment, table shuffleboard, board games and volleyball courts. These would enable kids to learn to win — and lose — on their own.

A youth recreation center would be an environment without any demands on performance, but where young people have the opportunity, alone or together with the staff, to plan and carry out various activities in a safe, drug-free, screen-free environment. Such an all-weather recreation center would have an enormous impact on the social life and health of children — and the adults — in the community.

Nelson lives in Moscow where he volunteers for the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre and supports libraries.