A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco, indicates that pre-teens with greater exposure to certain kinds of tech use could possibly be at a better risk of developing manic symptoms.
Published within the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, the study analyzed a nationwide sample of 9,243 children within the U.S. between 10 and 11 years old.
Young individuals who spent more time engaged with social media, texting, videos and video games were more prone to have “inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, rapid speech, racing thoughts and impulsivity — behaviors characteristic of manic episodes, a key feature of bipolar-spectrum disorders,” a press release noted.
“This study underscores the importance of cultivating healthy screen use habits early,” said co-author Kyle Ganson, PhD, assistant professor on the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, in the discharge.
“Future research might help us higher understand the behaviors and brain mechanisms linking screen use with manic symptoms to assist inform prevention and intervention efforts.”
Suggestions for safer use from experts
To mark the Global Day of Unplugging (March 7), Verizon hosted its first-ever “digital wellness summit” in Recent York City to share insights with the general public concerning the secure use of technology.
Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, discussed the importance of setting digital boundaries, especially for youths.
“Digital wellness needs to be for all ages, but really we’d like a recent blueprint as parents, because we’ve never been through this before,” Sampath said on the event within the Big Apple.
“This digital age is recent to us all. There’s no time in history we will reclaim how we handle that.”
In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, Sampath shared compelling statistics on phone use, including findings from Verizon’s 2024 Consumer Connections Report.
Kids and teenagers use social media for 4 to 5 hours a day and receive between 250 and 275 notifications every day, the report revealed.
Kids were also found to the touch and pick up their phones about 150 times per day.
1 / 4 of those events occurred during school hours.
“That is what sparked us to think there may be a healthier relationship people can have,” Sampath said.
Tech’s impact on kids
Dr. Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, attending psychologist at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, also spoke at a panel on the Verizon event and in a follow-up interview with Fox News Digital.
The expert noted that youngsters spending “hours and hours” of their free time on their phones could be “problematic,” especially considering the likelihood that they’ll experience threats equivalent to cyberbullying and hate speech.
“We all know that these are related to depressive symptoms and other mental health concerns,” she said.
“We also know that there’s a lot positive for social connection, learning and fun, so we have now to balance those two things.”
She identified that some social media apps are “designed to maintain you stuck” through the loop of an algorithm.
This problematic use can result in poorer performing at work or school and may negatively impact sleep and relationships, Sinclair-McBride warned.
“Are they capable of live their life and do the things they need and wish to do in a positive way? If there are concerns in any of those areas, that’s often an indication of something needing to be reassessed.”
Prompts for fogeys, grandparents
Sinclair-McBride encouraged parents and grandparents to learn concerning the apps children are using and teach them to be “critical consumers” of content by training them to detect scams, misinformation or AI-generated content.
“Slowing down and being more thoughtful and mindful about what you’re doing is, I believe, step one in modeling that as a parent,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Parents can even have a look at their very own use and [ask], ‘Am I on my phone an excessive amount of? Am I too hooked on social media?’”
The CEO also urged adults to set boundaries involving phone use, whether it’s limited to certain spaces in the house or specific times of day.
‘Create space to rejoice’
Sampath shared easy advice for families to make sure a healthy balance between tech use and unplugged activities.
“Go for a movie. Go for a walk. Go and play a game or simply hang around with friends. Or simply hang around together with your family in your kitchen and do fun things,” he suggested.
“I believe kids are going to should be comfortable sometimes doing nothing … reading a book, just hanging out,” he said.
“Kids are going to should get far more comfortable doing that – that’s a part of a healthy boundary, and it’s a part of relationship with technology.”
Sampath also encouraged Americans to reap the benefits of living in areas with “a few of the most effective weather” and “the most effective natural sights on this planet” by exploring outdoor spaces and moving more.
“You must create space to rejoice. You must create space to play. You must create space to have physical activity, to have real relationships,” he said.
“It has long-term advantages on mental health … While you do things in real life, you’re feeling happier.”
Sinclair-McBride echoed the recommendation to get outside and “touch grass.”
“The time that folks spend with digital technology must be balanced with real-life stuff, whether it’s sports, the humanities, creative activities, reading or actual hands-on, tangible things,” she said.
“I believe persons are on this mindset that this generation only desires to do digital, digital, digital,” she added.
“They still like other stuff, too. Now we have to present them options, space and freedom to have that point.”
A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco, indicates that pre-teens with greater exposure to certain kinds of tech use could possibly be at a better risk of developing manic symptoms.
Published within the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, the study analyzed a nationwide sample of 9,243 children within the U.S. between 10 and 11 years old.
Young individuals who spent more time engaged with social media, texting, videos and video games were more prone to have “inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, rapid speech, racing thoughts and impulsivity — behaviors characteristic of manic episodes, a key feature of bipolar-spectrum disorders,” a press release noted.
“This study underscores the importance of cultivating healthy screen use habits early,” said co-author Kyle Ganson, PhD, assistant professor on the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, in the discharge.
“Future research might help us higher understand the behaviors and brain mechanisms linking screen use with manic symptoms to assist inform prevention and intervention efforts.”
Suggestions for safer use from experts
To mark the Global Day of Unplugging (March 7), Verizon hosted its first-ever “digital wellness summit” in Recent York City to share insights with the general public concerning the secure use of technology.
Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, discussed the importance of setting digital boundaries, especially for youths.
“Digital wellness needs to be for all ages, but really we’d like a recent blueprint as parents, because we’ve never been through this before,” Sampath said on the event within the Big Apple.
“This digital age is recent to us all. There’s no time in history we will reclaim how we handle that.”
In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, Sampath shared compelling statistics on phone use, including findings from Verizon’s 2024 Consumer Connections Report.
Kids and teenagers use social media for 4 to 5 hours a day and receive between 250 and 275 notifications every day, the report revealed.
Kids were also found to the touch and pick up their phones about 150 times per day.
1 / 4 of those events occurred during school hours.
“That is what sparked us to think there may be a healthier relationship people can have,” Sampath said.
Tech’s impact on kids
Dr. Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, attending psychologist at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, also spoke at a panel on the Verizon event and in a follow-up interview with Fox News Digital.
The expert noted that youngsters spending “hours and hours” of their free time on their phones could be “problematic,” especially considering the likelihood that they’ll experience threats equivalent to cyberbullying and hate speech.
“We all know that these are related to depressive symptoms and other mental health concerns,” she said.
“We also know that there’s a lot positive for social connection, learning and fun, so we have now to balance those two things.”
She identified that some social media apps are “designed to maintain you stuck” through the loop of an algorithm.
This problematic use can result in poorer performing at work or school and may negatively impact sleep and relationships, Sinclair-McBride warned.
“Are they capable of live their life and do the things they need and wish to do in a positive way? If there are concerns in any of those areas, that’s often an indication of something needing to be reassessed.”
Prompts for fogeys, grandparents
Sinclair-McBride encouraged parents and grandparents to learn concerning the apps children are using and teach them to be “critical consumers” of content by training them to detect scams, misinformation or AI-generated content.
“Slowing down and being more thoughtful and mindful about what you’re doing is, I believe, step one in modeling that as a parent,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Parents can even have a look at their very own use and [ask], ‘Am I on my phone an excessive amount of? Am I too hooked on social media?’”
The CEO also urged adults to set boundaries involving phone use, whether it’s limited to certain spaces in the house or specific times of day.
‘Create space to rejoice’
Sampath shared easy advice for families to make sure a healthy balance between tech use and unplugged activities.
“Go for a movie. Go for a walk. Go and play a game or simply hang around with friends. Or simply hang around together with your family in your kitchen and do fun things,” he suggested.
“I believe kids are going to should be comfortable sometimes doing nothing … reading a book, just hanging out,” he said.
“Kids are going to should get far more comfortable doing that – that’s a part of a healthy boundary, and it’s a part of relationship with technology.”
Sampath also encouraged Americans to reap the benefits of living in areas with “a few of the most effective weather” and “the most effective natural sights on this planet” by exploring outdoor spaces and moving more.
“You must create space to rejoice. You must create space to play. You must create space to have physical activity, to have real relationships,” he said.
“It has long-term advantages on mental health … While you do things in real life, you’re feeling happier.”
Sinclair-McBride echoed the recommendation to get outside and “touch grass.”
“The time that folks spend with digital technology must be balanced with real-life stuff, whether it’s sports, the humanities, creative activities, reading or actual hands-on, tangible things,” she said.
“I believe persons are on this mindset that this generation only desires to do digital, digital, digital,” she added.
“They still like other stuff, too. Now we have to present them options, space and freedom to have that point.”
