This Is Your Mind Online: What Unlimited Screen Time Does To Kids
In 2021, parents ranked increased screen time as one of 3 harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
Screen Time Continues To Grow
- Adolescents’ screen time more than doubled during the pandemic
- 2019: 3.8 hours per day
- 2020: 7.7 hours per day
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- Plus, time spent online for schoolwork, reading ebooks, or listening to music
- Most teens feel addicted to their phones
- 50% of teens say they “feel addicted” to mobile devices
- 59% of their parents agree
- 72% of teens feel the urge to immediately check notifications or respond to messages
- 78% check their devices at least hourly
- Since the pandemic 63% of parents say teens’ social media use has increased
7 in 10 children have accidentally accessed harmful content online
The Mental & Emotional Impact Of Online Experiences
- Nearly half of teens today will experience some form of mental health disorder in their lifetime
- Teens who use social media more than 3 hours per day are at heightened risk of mental health issues
- Persistent use of social media can have a negative effect on mental health
- Lower self-esteem
- Diminished body-image
- Feeling isolation & loneliness
- 1 in 6 teens have experienced cyber-bullying
- Name-calling: 42%
- False rumors: 32%
- Unsolicited explicit messages: 25%
- Stalking: 21%
- Physical threats: 16%
- Explicit images shared without consent: 7%
- 90% of teens believe online harassment is normal
65% of young teens* want their families to use parental controls
- Accidental Exposure Is Common
[Call Out: On average, children are first exposed to pornography at age 11 — 2.5 years younger than in 1985]
- 34% of internet users have experienced unwanted exposure to pornographic content through ads, pop up ads, misdirected links or emails
- 81% of teens* who have seen pornographic materials have been exposed unintentionally
- 49% of teens* unintentionally encounter pornography at least 1-2 times per month
- Early exposure can have long term consequences
- Increased odds of teen pregnancy
- Greater risk of depression
- Lower self-esteem and loneliness
- Normalization of
- Unsafe sexual behaviors
- Violence against women
- Harmful racial stereotypes
In 2020, 1 in 7 children between ages 9 and 12 shared a nude photo of themselves — 3X higher than in 2019
- 62% of teens and young adults have sent or received a nude image
- 1 in 3 children* have seen nude photos of others that have been re-shared without consent
- In 2020, one-third of reported child sexual abuse material (CASM) was self-generated — a 77% increase in just one year
- 80% of self-generated CSAM comes from 11 to 13 year-old girls
84% of parents are worried about their child’s safety online
Create An Internet That’s Safe For Your Family
- How Does Accidental Exposure Occur?
- Up to 40% of children accidentally access online pornography by innocently entering simple search phrases or open-ended terms
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- Many young boys are exposed to violent and sexual content while playing online games meant for adults
- Children and teen can easily bypass age verification systems on most 18+ websites
- Receiving unsolicited messages — 43% of kids aged 8 to 13 years old speak to strangers online, often without supervision
- Most American youths watch online videos every day
- Ages 8-12: 56%
- Ages 13-18: 69%
- How To Protect Your Child From Harmful Content
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- Ground Rules: Establish age-appropriate rules and help your child understand why the rules are important — Commonly recommended rules include
- Don’t share personal information online
- Don’t friend anyone you don’t already know
- Keep gaming chats about the game
- Good Habits: Help your kid develop skills and habits that will foster a healthy relationship with technology for the rest of their lives
- Show kids how to report and block inappropriate content or behavior
- Create a central device charging station
- Establish a digital curfew for the whole family
- Place game systems and computers in shared areas of the house
- Parental Controls: Use smart filtering tools with broad protection instead of adjusting each app individually — These include
- Router-level settings offered by your internet service provider
- Operating system tools on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices
- Activating Google SafeSearch for each device and browse
- Talk To Your Child: It’s never too late to start an open, ongoing conversation about the role of technology in their lives
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- Let your child know you’re always there to help
- Remind them that they can ask you about anything, even if they feel uncomfortable
Nearly 1 in 5 parents don’t bother with parental controls because they believe their kids can easily bypass them — But, with newer parental control technology, that isn’t true Canopy Seamlessly Filters Online Content
- Block explicit images and videos on every website — no exceptions
- Prevent kids from disabling the filter or deleting the app
- Disable distracting apps and games
- Detect sexting and alert parents immediately
- Monitor real-time GPS location
Canopy creates a safe, custom internet for your family – Learn more at canopy.us
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2012/06/25/tech/web/mcafee-teen-online-survey/index.html
https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/esafety-news/revealed-7-10-teens-want-parents-set-filters-protect-online/
https://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Survey-Kids-appetite-for-online-video-doubles-in-4-years-564023051.html
https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-security/internet-safety-for-kids-how-to-protect-your-child-from-online-threats-a3970856439/
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/08/talking-to-kids-about-porn/568744/
https://www.cybersafekids.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/csi_annual_report_2019.pdf
https://www.kff.org/other/event/sex-on-tv-4/
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/15/epidemic-growth-of-net-porn-cited/
https://www.kaspersky.com/about/press-releases/2019_parents-are-worried-about-their-childs-online-safety
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.20328
https://www.medicaldaily.com/porn-addicts-more-likely-engage-risky-sexual-behaviors-porn-literacy-may-help-320198
https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/internet-pornography-by-the-numbers
https://www.iwf.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/annual-report/
https://info.thorn.org/hubfs/Research/SGCSAM_Attidues&Experiences_YouthMonitoring_FullReport_2021_FINAL%20(1).pdf
https://www.amazon.com/Porn-Phenomenon-Impact-Pornography-Digital/dp/0996584366
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01292989909359614
https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/esafety-news/revealed-7-10-teens-want-parents-set-filters-protect-online/
https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/blog/childrens-mental-health-pandemic-statistics/
https://onlinedegrees.unr.edu/online-master-of-public-health/impact-of-social-media-on-youth-mental-health/
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/63-of-parents-say-teens-social-media-use-has-increased-during-covid-19/
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/new-report-finds-teens-feel-addicted-to-their-phones-causing-tension-at-home
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2021/11/421701/adolescents-recreational-screen-time-doubled-during-pandemic-affecting-mental