Here is yet another study showing the immense benefits to teenagers of staying off of cell phones, and especially the social media delivered on those phones. The study tracked the mental health of children at a summer camp in which they had no access to phones. Guess what, their mental health improved dramatically. Who knew that being outside in the fresh air, doing activities with friends, reading, exercising; could be so good for your health? Everyone who is my age does because that is all we had when we were young. Being away from screens was most helpful to the campers who reported the worst mental health initially. The children slept better, had more of a sense of social connectedness and displayed more resilience. Every school should ban cell phones and limit screen time and every parent should strongly consider not giving their children smart phones. And whatever the device, social media should be completely avoided by every child. (MHP Article)
