For one week Spruce View School will become an oasis from the onslaught of electronics.
From May 6-10 staff and students will participate in Screen-Free Week, an exercise in putting down mobile phones, shutting off the TV and turning away from computer games, according to Jeanette Greenough, Healthy Schools Healthy Future facilitator.
“The effect of a growing arsenal of personal electronics is that people are more materialistic, more solitary, and more sedentary,” she said. “A lifestyle of all-screens-all-the-time is also, not surprisingly, having negative effects on our physical health, including the startling rise in obesity rates.”
Electronic games, television and computers are created to hold our attention, but a growing number of experts are becoming worried that youth may become addicted to using the devices.
“For over 40 years researchers have studied the impact of electronic media,” she said. “Television has had the greatest impact to date, but recent research clearly shows that electronic devices, personal computers and hand-held gadgets are significantly transforming us, our children and our culture.”
The use of electronic devices has skyrocketed in recent years. A review of 90 studies of screen-based media use found adolescents view an average of 134 minutes per day of television, 40 minutes of video and 34 minutes per day of computer game use. And a new Korean study suggests a potential link between the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cellphone use.
Screen-Free Week (formerly TV-Turnoff) was launched by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood to combat the pervasive “screen suck” of electronics and encourage healthy life choices among youth.
“Too much screen time isn't good for children or adults,” Greenough said. “As individuals and as a society we need to find alternatives to screens that get us both physically and mentally active, and more engaged with each other and in the world around us.”
The issue is a complicated one as school boards from coast to coast look to cut costs and implement innovative programming by bringing more tablets and computers into the classroom for educational purposes.
Greenough says using screen-based media for the right reasons can be a good thing, but stresses balance is key.
“We cannot dismiss the fact that we are a technological society,” she said. “There is definitely an increased use in screen-based devices that are very useful in classrooms for all ages of students from preschool to Grade 12. However, they are not meant to replace the social and personal aspect of a warm and supportive classroom environment.”
An important part of Screen-Free Week in Spruce View is presenting positive alternatives to electronic entertainment. On May 9, the school will host a Life-Choices Fair designed for learners from grades 7-12 who can attend sessions on nutrition, stress management, fitness, yoga, money management, tobacco, drug and alcohol awareness and planning for success beyond high school.
“A lot of planning has gone into this event to ensure that all students will find some relevance to their lives,” she said, noting she hopes it will help improve their physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being.
The school has been holding a Smoothie Day every month and established a walking/running club for high school students.
Greenough says she hopes the week of putting down gadgets will help create a much-needed dialogue with students.
“The goal of Screen-Free Week is to refrain from using screens for entertainment in order to enjoy the rest of the world,” she said. “Screens are so interwoven in the fabric of our lives that sorting out what's entertainment and what's work or communication may be difficult.”
