Opinion U.S. surgeon general: I am concerned about social media and youth mental health

 

Vivek H. Murthy is the surgeon general of the United States.

“It’s a different kind of love, the love you have for your children,” my father would often say when I was growing up. When I became a parent and found myself hovering over my children’s cribs late at night to make sure they were okay, I understood. Nothing is more important than keeping our kids safe and giving them every chance to grow and thrive. As they reach adolescence, this means paying attention to how social media can affect their health and well-being.

When I travel around the country talking with parents, the No. 1 question they ask me has to do with social media: “Is it safe for my kids?” Nearly 70 percent of parents say their job is harder now than it was for parents 20 years ago, mainly because of technology and social media...

Opinion | U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy warns of social media for kids - The Washington Post

Opinion: Our children need a break from screens — even at school By Lisa Cline, Gaithersburg

The Maryland State Education Department’s digital best practices plan was created to stem the physical, academic and mental sinkholes associated with excessive screen time. It is the result of a 2018 bill, favored by the Montgomery County Board of Education, that recommended offline alternatives and screen breaks every 20 minutes.

There is no evidence that offline alternatives and screen breaks are available to Montgomery County Public School children, not pre-pandemic and not now — despite many parents requesting books and paper assignments to break up the screen time...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/letters-to-the-editor/our-children-need-a-break-from-screens--even-at-school/2021/06/13/5c30c4d6-c958-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html

WBAL: FBI warns of cyber predators accessing children through virtual learning

 MILFORD MILL, Md. —

The Baltimore office of the FBI warns that complaints about cybercrimes against children are up more than 250% in the city alone, and nationwide, they said the numbers are staggering.

"To highlight the amount of complaints that are coming in, we are literally drowning in them," said Matt Vilcek, supervisory special agent for the Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Unit...

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/cyber-predators-virtual-learning-at-home-learning-online-learning/33915367

Kids used to love screen time. Then schools made Zoom mandatory all day long.

SAN FRANCISCO — At 8:30 a.m. every weekday, Sadie Barnett’s 9-year-old daughter opens her laptop and logs on to Zoom to start the school day. For the next 6½ hours, she’s not allowed to turn off the computer’s camera except for a midday lunch break. Along with the 94 other children on the call, she isn’t allowed to eat or drink on camera, wear pajamas or lounge or lie down.

In her first full week of fourth grade, she has already cried twice because her head hurt from squinting at the screen.

“It’s painful to watch,” said Barnett, who lives in Pennsylvania.

Headaches, anxiety and exhaustion caused by never-ending video meetings are no longer exclusively for adults trying to work from home during the pandemic. Some schools have started the fall semester with remote-learning setups that mimic what a full day of school was like before the coronavirus crisis...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/09/04/screentime-school-distance/

Screens and Kids: Making your home workstation safer for you and your kids

Screens and Kids: Making your home workstation safer for you and you...: Making your home workstation safer for you and your child Some basic measures could help protect your family from avoidable aches, strain...