A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco shows that early teens, who are often exposed to certain types of technology use, may be at a higher risk of developing man disease symptoms.
The study, published in the Journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, analyzed a national sample of 9,243 children in the US between the ages of 10 and 11.
Young people who spent more time engaged in social media, texting, videos and video games are more likely to have episodes of Man's disease, an important feature of the key feature of social media, texting, video games, and video games.
“This study highlights the importance of developing healthy screen use habits early,” said Dr. Kyle Gunson, assistant professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Factors and Social Work in the release.
“Future research will help us to better understand behavioural and brain mechanisms that link screen use with man symptoms to inform prevention and intervention efforts.”
Tips for safer use from experts
To mark the global plug day (March 7), Verizon held its first “Digital Wellness Summit” in New York City, sharing insights with the public about the safe use of technology.
Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, discussed the importance of setting digital boundaries, especially for children.
“Digital wellness must be of any age, but as parents, we really need a new blueprint, because we've never experienced this before,” Sunpas said at an event at the Big Apple.
“This digital age is new to all of us. History can't bring back how we handle it.”
In another interview with Fox News Digital, Sampath shared compelling statistics on phone use, including results from Verizon's 2024 Consumer Connections report.
Children and teenagers use social media for 4-5 hours a day and receive 250-275 notifications daily, the report revealed.
It was also found that children touch and pick up the phone about 150 times a day.
A quarter of these events occurred during class hours.
“This is something that made me think there's a healthier relationship that people can have,” Sampas said.
The impact of technology on children
Dr. Kenisha Sinclair McBride, a psychologist at Children's Hospital in Boston and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, also spoke in a panel at the Verizon event and a follow-up interview with Fox News Digital.
Experts said it could be “problem” for children to spend “time and time” of their free time on their mobile phones. He said he considers the possibility of experiencing threats such as cyberbullying and hate speech.
“I know these are related to depressive symptoms and other mental health concerns,” she said.
“We also know that we are very positive about social connection, learning and enjoyment, so we need to balance these two things.”
She pointed out that some social media apps are “designed to keep you stuffed” via loops of algorithms.
This problematic use can lead to poorer functioning at work and school, which can negatively affect sleep and relationships, Sinclair McBride warned.
“Do they have to live their lives, do what they want and do positively? If there's concern about any of these areas, it's usually a sign of something that needs to be reassessed.”
Parents and grandparents prompts
Sinclair-McBride encouraged parents and grandparents to learn and teach apps that have become “critical consumers” of content by training their children to detect fraud, misinformation, or AI-generated content.
“I think slowing down and being more thoughtful about what you're doing is the first step to modeling that as a parent,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Parents can also see their use [ask]'Am I making too many phones? Am I too obsessed with social media? ”
The CEO also urged adults to set boundaries that involve telephone use, whether they are limited to specific spaces in the home or at certain times.
“Create a space for fun”
Sampas shared some simple family-friendly advice to ensure a healthy balance between high-tech use and unplugged activities.
“Go to the movies, I'm off for a walk. Go and play games, hang out with friends, or just hang out with my family in the kitchen and do some fun things,” he suggested.
“I think kids need to be comfortable doing nothing at times… they just read books and just wander around,” he said.
“Kids need to make it more comfortable. It's part of a healthy boundary and part of a good relationship with technology.”
Sunpass also encouraged Americans to take advantage of living in areas of “some of the best weather” and “the best natural scenery in the world” to explore and move further.
“You want to create space for fun. You want to create space for play. You want to create space for physical activity and have real relationships,” he said.
“There are long-term benefits to mental health. Doing things in real life makes you happy.”
Sinclair-McBride repeated his advice to go outside and “touch the grass.”
“Time spent with digital technology, whether it's sports, art, creative activities, reading, and practical, practical concrete things, needs to be balanced with the real thing,” she said.
“I think people are in the mindset that this generation wants to do digital, digital, digital,” she added.
“They still like other things too. We have to give them choices, space and freedom to have that time.”
