94 per cent of youth in Huron-Perth get too much screen time: United Way report

Nearly all school-age youth in Huron and Perth counties are spending too much of their free time on smartphones, playing video games or watching TV, a new report from the United Way Perth-Huron’s social research and planning council says.

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Released this week, the local United Way’s A Healthy Well-Being report offers a snapshot of the health and well-being of area residents using data collected and compiled from a number of sources, including Huron Perth public health, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Health Survey. Within that report, and based on data collected through the University of Waterloo’s COMPASS project, an ongoing study of high school health policies and student health behaviors in Ontario and Alberta that focuses on cannabis use, obesitymental health, physical activity, alcohol use, smoking and sedentary behavior, 94 per cent of school-aged youth in Huron and Perth counties are getting more than the two hours of recommended screen time daily.

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According to recent study out of Western University that collected data from more than 200 Canadian familiesevery minute more a child spends on screen time above the recommended two-hour limit could be linked to higher levels of depression and anxiety.

“Every extra minute was associated with worse mental-health outcomes. …We have to be aware of the amount of time children are spending on screens. If parents see signs of anxiety and depression in their children, they should consider this could potentially be related to excessive screen time use,” said Emma Duerden, an assistant professor in Western’s faculty of education who also serves as Canada research chair of neuroscience and learning disorders.

According to the local United Way report, that excess screen time could also be linked with reduced sleep. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines suggest youth aged five to 13 should have nine to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night while those aged 14 to 17 should have eight to 10 hours. Among youth in Huron-Perth, only 59 per cent are meeting these guidelines, the report notes.

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And the region’s school board officials are well aware of the risks youth face with excessive screen time. In an email, Avon Maitland District school board education director Lisa Walsh said the United Way’s findings are in line with the results of a recent board survey of secondary school students. Excessive use of screen time and its impacts on sleep, mental health and healthy habits do have an effect on student learning, she said.

“Schools are part of the solution,” Walsh said. “We, as educators, do not control the behaviors and habits of students outside of school. We can, however, increase their knowledge of the risks, teach them about healthy habits and encourage them to practice these while at home. While students are at school, we have a role to play to ensure that the technology is used appropriately. …I see this as an opportunity to educate our youth about appropriate use, including how much time they spend on a device and what they are accessing online.

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“The reality is that smartphones in our society are a part of everyday life, and we need to teach our children how to use them responsibly. We will also keep parents informed so that they can make the decisions for their children about the appropriate time for a cellphone and other technology devices.”

Walsh said the school board is currently looking at rolling out a film series aimed at helping parents understand the risks of technology overuse and, last year, the school board hosted a webinar for parents called Technology Takeover that provided specific strategies to help youth curb their time staring at screens.

Similarly, the Huron Perth Catholic District school board is also working to educate parents and families in the area of ​​student mental health and provide training on topics, including reducing screen time at home.

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“Anything that negatively impacts student health, like imbalances due to excessive recreational screen time, is a concern for the board,” said Chris Roehrig, the Catholic school board’s director of education. “School principals work directly with parents regarding concerns at the individual level and through their school councils at the community level with respect to recreational screen time.

“This past week, our mental-health team presented to the St. Anne’s Catholic secondary school parent council and pointed them to resources through School Mental Health Ontario. Board mental health workers also assist parents on strategies to help their children.”

But reducing screen time among youth isn’t just a task left up to parents, families and schools. Kristin Crane, the United Way Perth-Huron’s director of social research and planning, says more recreational activities for youth in the community could help draw their attention away from their phones.

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“From our perspective, providing more recreational opportunities for youth presents youth with opportunities to take part in activities that have physical, mental and social benefits,” Crane said. “In our report, we recommend that community organizations and municipal government offer free drop-in programming for everyone, but particularly youth, to address this and the lingering impact of COVID on well-being.

“Free and drop-in programming reduces barriers to participation, although in many rural communities, transportation is also a barrier. There is important work being done with libraries and that could be another avenue to investigate and highlight their very comprehensive lending programs. Also allowing youth to have voice for shaping that programming is really important.”

To read the United Way Perth-Huron’s A Healthy Well-Being report and all five of its 2023 Quality of Life reports, visit perthhuron.unitedway.ca/research/quality-of-life.

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