We have all heard the arguments regarding excessive use of devices with screens. Many parents feel these common opinions are incorrect or a bother to pay much attention to when raising their children their own way. In this discussion, I would ask you to just consider the information and make your own decisions regarding your child’s mental health and developmental growth.
Let’s first start with the trauma piece. Developmental professionals for many years have proven that early childhood development is significantly impacted by trauma. Some of the symptoms parents and professionals observe in children of early trauma are brain development, nervous system wiring, anxiety, failure to thrive, inability to attach to the caregiver, tantrums, and aggression.
The American Psychological Association reports that screen time before the age of 2 years creates measurable changes in brain development. The reason is the visual processing and cognitive control is accelerated before the ability for flexibility of complex thinking in the brain. This affects decision making and an increase in anxiety by age 13. So, If a child has experienced early trauma, the brain is already impacted in regard to development, now with the introduction of screen exposure, your child will present with issues that become difficult to manage. The recommendation further suggests that under 2 years screen time for video calls with family and limited quality screen time are less harmful. I would urge you to read the recommendations put forth by the APA. There are very helpful videos as well to help you decide the best path for your child.
The guidelines for screen time for children have shifted in the past year or so. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests limited, reasonable screen time each day, clear boundaries regarding that time and content, educational videos for children 2 to 6 years, more face-to-face activities rather than videos, remove devices from bedrooms, family mealtime, and increase physical activities. Many children who have experienced trauma find it difficult to connect with others, especially the parent or caretaker. If you think about it, handing a child a device to keep them occupied delivers the unspoken message that you are too busy or tired to connect with them. This gives the child another way to isolate and remove themselves from learning to attach in a healthy manner, form solid interpersonal skills, and learn more about the physical world around them.
Youth from pre-teen through the teen years, if given the freedom of little of no boundaries or rules around device usage, runs the risk of forming digital addiction. Yes, that is a real thing. Just try to take your teenager’s device away. What parents will see in their child and maybe themselves are uncontrolled compulsion to check messages, non-stop video gaming, being online with social media for a large portion of the day, and obsessive pornography engagement. To address these issues with children who have experienced trauma, these symptoms can be even more exaggerated. Digital addiction disrupts one’s sleep and daily routines. Additional problems, especially in young males, is pornography addiction. This can lead to an inappropriate understanding of healthy intimacy and how the youth views a prospective sexual partner. Pornography addiction can also be a constant trigger for children who have been sexually abused in the past.
Finally, overuse of devices stunts appropriate interpersonal skills. When someone solely relies on virtual or phone relationships, there is no way to learn how to navigate in the real world with real people. That takes one to one, in person contact. It is quite easy for a child who does not trust others due to past trauma to retreat into the virtual world or seek companionship on facetime or with gaming.
This article is only meant to provide some of the issues that device usage can create. Parents must use care to set age-appropriate boundaries and limitations on their children’s screen time. To understand further the impact of screen time for typical children as well as traumatized children, the research is readily available to dig deeper into the subject.
Roxanne Thompson, MA LPC
Denver Therapy and Consultation Group
Roxanne Thompson, LPC is a licensed professional counselor with 30+ years of experience working with foster/adoptive children and families with expertise in childhood trauma. She is co-founder of two nonprofits, Developmental Trauma Specialists and Adoptive Family Resources. Through the years Roxanne’s private practice, Denver Therapy and Consultation Group, LLC has contracted with Denver Human Services, Jefferson County Social Services, Weld County Social Services and Arapahoe County Human Services for training and therapy. Roxanne is a national trainer for foster/adoptive parents and former trainer for Colorado Child Welfare Training System. In addition, Roxanne sits on the board for Colorado State Foster Parents Association, Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families, and Developmental Trauma Specialists.
