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Is all screen time bad? Experts weigh in on healthy habits for kids and teens.

University of Delaware experts say monitored screen time is the way to go.

Dec 17, 2024

2 min

With the winter holiday season upon us, many children and adolescents will be home from school for break. As with any extended periods of time outside of school, screen time for children will become a topic of discussion for families.


"For academic benefits of screens, it isn't only about the screen 'time,' but about the type of activities youth are doing on screens," said Teya Rutherford, associate professor at the University of Delaware. "There is huge variance in the quality of engagement with online games, etc."


During the holiday season, children and adolescents have way more time to fall down the rabbit hole of social media and general web surfing. The American Psychological Association recently released guidelines to help parents coach their teens to have healthier relationships with viewing videos online. Some of the findings include limiting screen time, monitoring content and teaching children and adolescents about misinformation.


"This finding is in line with the literature on parental monitoring – in that, if parents monitor their adolescents’ use of social media, then outcomes (i.e., academic achievement) are often better for the adolescent, than for the adolescent whose parent does not engage in such monitoring behaviors," said Mellissa Gordon, associate professor at the University of Delaware.


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Rutherford can speak about creating engaging online environments, the science behind learning in online environments, motivating students to learn in STEM contexts and self-regulated learning.


Gordon conducts research on the social mechanisms that influence adolescent and young adult development. In a 2023 Youth and Society study, she found that as middle schoolers’ social media use increased, their academic performance suffered. 


Both can be contacted by emailing mediarelations@udel.edu.

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