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Half of parents believe technology hinders kids from forming classroom connections, poll shows

Pediatric psychologist Ariana Hoet told 10TV’s Tracy Townsend that it’s critical to check in with your kids.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As kids across central Ohio are beginning to return to the classroom, a new poll was released to show how parents feel about kids’ access to technology and social media.

According to a study from Nationwide Children's Hospital's Kids Mental Health Foundation, success in school can be linked to how connected a child is in the classroom with their classmates and teachers.

A national poll, consisting of more than 1,000 parents, shows that half of parents believe spending too much time on technology and social media is getting in the way of their kids making quality connections.

The survey also revealed that the top challenges with building connections are too much time on technology, bullying and the social impact of the pandemic.

Pediatric psychologist Ariana Hoet told 10TV’s Tracy Townsend that it’s critical to check in with your kids.

"We have to figure out, is it coming from social media? Do we notice that kids are spending so much time on their devices that they're not doing other things, that it's impacting their socializing, their sleep, their homework,” Hoet asked.

Research shows that excessive screen time can lead to:

  • Less physical activity and impacts to physical health
  • Less sleep
  • Learning delays for younger children and infants
  • Distraction and lower grades
  • Risky behaviors (due to what they may watch and be exposed to on the internet)

Hoet said one of the ways to help your child make connections is to join them and care. 

“Play the game with them, browse TikTok with them. Just kind of join them and really care, share that interest with them," Hoet said. "And it’s daily conversations with them so that first time, the second time, the third time, they may shut you out, but they may get used to ‘OK, yeah, my parent’s actually into this.’”

Some ways you can set good examples and boundaries are to: Moderate what they are watching and make sure it's age-appropriate, establish screen-free times, cowatch; teach kids how to cope with emotions without a screen and model behaviors you want to see.

For more information on how to boost kids’ connections in school, click here.

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