October 2010

Attention Please!

Dealing With Digital Distractions

By Erin Mantz

Deciding what age is old enough for a cell phone can be hard, admits one McLean mom. "My 8-year-old is enthralled with my husband's iPhone, and she often asks when she can get one, too." What's the fascination? Kids see cell phones everywhere--starting with their parents--as families run errands, drive on vacations, sit in traffic, go shopping and more. Parents are often not only on the phone while their kids are trying to get their attention, but they also hand their cell phone to their kids to keep them busy so the parents themselves can get things done, such as finish an adult conversation at a restaurant, check out at a store or get some peace and quiet in the car. In fact, 66 percent of all 8- to 18-year-olds in the United States own a cell phone, according to a recent study titled "Generation M2 - Media in the Lives of 8 - 18 Year Olds" by the Kaiser Family Foundation (January 2010). While many of these young owners edge more toward the tween and teen years, the reality is even some elementary school kids carry cell phones.

With this technology comes concern. Parents worry their kids are already too connected to too much technology too often and at the same time. Everyone is learning how to set limits, define "too much" usage and understand the rising body of research pointing to how technology multitasking may harm kids' brains, development and socialization. Recent studies link excessive media consumption, excluding texting, to decreased school performance and lower levels of contentment. Other studies find too much cell phone use and texting can interfere with kids' sleep, focus in the classroom, homework, mealtimes and social interactions.

The Cell Phone

Even Bathing Suit Barbie has had a cell phone since early 2009.

Many moms giving in to Wii games, Nintendo DSs, laptops, iPods and television time draw the line at getting their kids a cell phone too soon. "I just don't see how a child under 12 would actually need a cell phone," says one mom. "By middle school, independent activities may increase, so then a cell phone is a practical way to keep tabs on where and what your child is up to," she says. However, certain family circumstances may warrant one earlier. Some divorced moms give their children cell phones to make keeping in touch easier as the kids juggle living in two houses. One working mom gave her fourth grader a phone to make it easier for him to check in after school, ask to go to a friend's house or just talk about his day before he starts his after-school activities.

Navigating Cell Phone Use

Earlier this summer, radio shows and mommy blogs were buzzing about Little Tykes, the well-known company that has been making toy cars for toddlers for 40 years. It modified its Cozy Coupe to add a pretend cell phone that lights up, makes ringing and dialing sounds and fits in its own holder in the car--and lots of people have an opinion about it. The car is geared to kids 18 months to 4 years. Why wouldn't they grow up thinking it's fine to multitask when driving, when they are already pretending to chat on the phone while they "steer" around the playground track? Research shows the act of holding a phone isn't even the problem; it's that your mind is elsewhere. Even a future model car with something like Bluetooth wouldn't help.

Realizing that parents have a hard time navigating cell phone use for their kids, a Bethesda-based company, Kajeet, designs products and services to help. Kajeet aims to help parents and kids manage cell phone use appropriately so families can balance staying connected while demonstrating moderate, responsible use of mobile devices. Their phones offer parental controls, such as Time Manager, which allows parents and kids to block calls and texts during school and at night, Contact Manager, which allows parents and kids to block certain numbers, and Picture Manager, which allows parents to block picture messaging. Kajeet also offers a sample contract template parents can download and tailor to their family.

Schools Set Limits

Schools also set limits, taking the cell phone issue seriously, though some differ on their policies and approach. At the Norwood School in Bethesda, students are not allowed to bring cell phones to school.  This policy applies to students at all grade levels, K through 8. An independent school with a reputation for having a cutting-edge educational technology program, educators here are not strangers to the benefits of technology, but they are also responsibly setting guidelines that ensure that kids are not distracted from learning. Merritt Academy in Fairfax clearly communicates its cell phone policy to parents and students. Cell phones may be brought to school under two conditions: They remain turned off during the entire time the student is on campus and they remain in the student's locker the entire time the student is on campus. "If a student has difficulty following this rule, her phone will be taken away by a teacher or administrator," explains Linda D. Potts, M.Ed., Merritt's principal. "We would give the phone to the parent at the end of the school day, and if we see a repeat offender, we ask the parents to keep that student's phone at home." In Fairfax County public schools, the elementary school policy states kids can have them, but on the bus and at school, they need to be turned off and in backpacks. If a student's phone rings during the day, she is sent to the office and usually receives an in-school suspension.

Today's average American kid between the ages of 8 and 18 spends more than 7.5 hours a day using a phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to the January 2010 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The findings gained momentum in the media, throughout the research and psychological communities, among educators and, of course, parents. Since the study also found that the more time kids spend with electronic media, the less happy they tend to be, it's easy to see why this topic has captured everyone's attention.

What Does All This Multitasking Mean?

In trying to understand the impact that multitasking has--and will have--on our youth, leading educators like Daniel T. Wittingham, a professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Virginia, are taking a closer look. In his report "Have Technology and Multitasking Rewired How Students Learn?" Wittingham acknowledges that research shows today's young people are indeed better at multitasking than other generations are, but that doesn't mean it's good for them. Research shows there is no reason kids must multitask; most of the time when parents think kids are multitasking, they are really switching between things, and kids and teens think they are good at multitasking. What does all this multitasking mean for the way kids think, learn, focus and socialize?

The fact that our kids are multitasking comes as no surprise. In my house on a typical night, with four boys between the ages of 5 and 9, everyone is often engaged in some form of technology, with their choice of five televisions, four Nintendo DSs, two Wiis, four laptops, four iPods and four cell phones. Sure, I may be part of the problem--I am guilty of texting while watching television with my kids--but I am not sure how to be part of the solution. What's the harm?

What's the Harm?

A lot, say many experts. The consequences may be very real, according to Ann C. Scheiner, LGMFT, who works with kids and families in her psychotherapy practice in Kensington. "Multitasking comes with some serious side effects we need to look at as parents and as a society," Scheiner says. "Performance and focusing suffer during multitasking, because when we do several things at once, we do none of them as well as we would if doing them separately. When we allow children to multitask, they are strengthening the short attention span pathways in the brain and making it more likely that they will operate that way next time.  Evidence that multitasking overstimulates and then exhausts the brain means it can further interfere with focusing and learning."

While people investigating this issue disagree on some details, all agree that multitasking prolongs the time it takes to do each task, and the distractions affect kids' ability to filter and retain information. A study by the National Academy of Sciences showed that even though students thought they were good at juggling multiple things, in reality most kids had a really hard time doing something called "filtering"--focusing on one thing and shutting out others. And they were really slow at returning to whatever they were doing initially--like homework--once they had shifted their attention to a text, an instant message or a television show.

Think about the times your kids say they are bored. Most likely, it's when they were feeling understimulated. Consider the time the power went out and nothing was charged. Do kids know what to do or how to be when they don't have a piece of technology to keep them busy? A similar question has been raised over the aspect of overscheduling kids. Do they know what to do with themselves when they have an hour free of an after-school activity, canceled game or break in the sports season? Wait, they do turn to something--technology.

Parents Play an Important Role

Some parents worry not only about the impact technology may have on kids' brain development, learning and attention spans, but also about socialization and simple real-time conversations with friends. "My kids are often on their Nintendo DS, watching TV and having a playdate with their friends all at the same time," says one Potomac mom. "I definitely notice the interaction between the kids is much less than when I grew up. I ask them to turn off the electronics and go play, giving them some real playtime to help get to know each other."

Research shows that kids whose parents make some kind of effort to curb media use spend less time with media, and they report being happier and healthier for it, according to Liz Perle, editor in chief of Common Sense Media. Some parents turn to organizations like Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org) for help, not only for reviews and insight into movies or media content, but for tips on managing their kids' technology use. "As parents, it can be incredibly tough to keep up with all this technology. We can help them learn how to use [it] wisely, and part of that is helping kids set limits and create balance." Perle points out things parents can do to somewhat manage their kids' multitasking: Make sure your kids only do one thing at a time, encourage more reading, see if they can recall what they've read the night before and notice if school assignments are being turned in late. And set a good example. "Resist the urge to check your BlackBerry when you're talking with your kids," she urges.

Parent-Child Communication

Parents of teens are now seeing some effects as the first round of the "M Generation" heads through high school. For instance, much has been written about how tired today's teens are. A study published in the June 2009 volume of Pediatrics that asked teens to record their technology use and measured the way they multitasked. Of the high school subjects surveyed in suburban Philadelphia, those who had multitasked TV, text messages, computer use and five other activities got less sleep than those who did not multitask as much.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America surveyed more than 1,200 parents and found that more than one-third are concerned about how TV (38 percent), computers (37 percent) and video games (33 percent) hinder parent-child communications. More than one-quarter of parents worried about "newer" forms of media, such as cell phone texting (27 percent), and social networking sites, such as Facebook (25 percent) and Twitter (19 percent). Some parents think the large amount of time teens spend immersed in electronic media makes it difficult to have discussions about the big things in life that matter, like the dangers of drinking and driving or saying "No" to drugs. One Bethesda mom of four teens is thankful her kids' technology use as preteens didn't hurt their ability to have one-on-one conversations. But she does notice that her kids seem to expect answers and results to come quickly, sort of like the way a friend responds instantly to a text message or a Wii game gives you another chance.

As we continue to watch our kids consume media and wonder if, when and how to monitor the multitasking, consider this: The Kaiser Family Foundation's study found that in two-thirds of households, televisions are on during meals. In 75 percent of households, televisions are on when no one is watching them. That means technology is on and competing with dinner conversations, or buzzing in the background as kids do other tasks.

Although average American kid spends more than 7.5 hours a day using a phone, computer, television or other electronic device, only one-third of households have media consumption rules. Do the math; the numbers tell the story.

The Kaiser study finding may finally get through to parents who still have some limit-setting to do: The more time kids spend with electronic media, the less happy they tend to be. If that won't get parents' attention, what will?

As I finish this article and start to pack my family's stuff for a four-day beach vacation, I realize just how overloaded with technology my kids (and I) are.  I spend 15 minutes searching the house for both my sons' Nintendo DSs, my 9-year old's iPod, charger and headphones (found in three different places I might add), my sons' laptop; and my 9-year-old's Flip video camera. Their stepbrothers practically do the same. But that's not all. I frantically pack my BlackBerry, laptop and iPod. We're not bringing my older son's cell phone because, as usual, we can't find the charger. With the car packed, I do a final check of the house and realize we almost forgot one thing: the expensive new SLR camera to capture the memories we'll surely make in those rare moments we are all unplugged on the beach. Four hours later, we're sitting in our rented beach house on a rainy afternoon. All four boys are sitting in the living room, buried in their Nintendo DSs, sending each other pictures. At least they're communicating, I think with a smile.

What can parents do to ease their kids' multitasking? 
Liz Perle, editor in chief of Common Sense Media, offers this advice:

Parents should keep an eye out for some of these behaviors in their kids:

TIP: What's the right age for your child to have a cell phone? Common Sense Media shares some great tips for parents of elementary and middle-school kids at commonsensemedia.org.

Erin Mantz is a writer in Potomac. Reach her at erinmantz.com.