Aarav Parolia ’29 goes home after school in his Uber and immediately starts using his phone, contributing to the six and a half hours he spends on his phone per day. Once he arrives at home, he continues scrolling on Instagram, and soon, a few hours have passed. This is one of the many ways students at West use their phones. Many students use their phones for 31-40 hours per week. The effects can be seen in many ways.

Bengi Baran, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Iowa, has researched the effects of screen time. In her experiment, she used wristwatch monitors to track the sleep of high school students as well as freshmen at the University of Iowa. She also followed screen time and asked the students to create daily logs of their well-being, mood and anxiety. Baran’s research found that screen time can significantly affect sleep.

“One of the main ways screen time can affect the brain, especially in teenagers, is through its effects on sleep and the body’s internal clock,” Baran said. 

This happens when phones emit light that hinders the body’s ability to produce melatonin. Melatonin is a sleep-inducing hormone, and decreasing levels of melatonin can obstruct a person’s ability to fall asleep.

However, Baran’s research also found that screen time — while altering melatonin levels — affects mental health much less than expected. Instead, the amount of time asleep was a bigger indicator of mental health; Teens had better mental health when they slept more. Baran’s data showed that how teens use their screen time matters more than how much they use it. 

“Screen time can also affect the brain through social and reward processes, particularly during adolescence, when the brain is especially sensitive to peer feedback and social evaluation,” Baran said. 

The American Psychological Association showed this happens by releasing dopamine, a hormone that gives people a feeling of satisfaction. Teenagers especially get a rush of dopamine when a social media post is liked, commented on or even when they scroll on social media. When these hormone rushes happen too often, it can lead to a person relying on them and becoming addicted. 

77% of high schoolers in the United States use social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. A West Side Story survey showed that this trend is relevant at West High as well.

A study by the Center of Disease Control showed that excessive use of social media has been linked to obesity and poorer well-being. About 25% of teenagers with four or more hours of screen time had depression or anxiety symptoms. On the other hand, Nathan Chen ’28, a student at West High, believes that social media use can be beneficial. 

“I become more culturally educated,” said Chen.

Chen thinks that social media is an integral part of cultural education. He uses his phone for about two hours a day, and mainly uses it to take 15-30 minute breaks in between studying or doing other activities. During his breaks, he mainly scrolls on Instagram or watches shows on Netflix. He also likes to use his phone as an opportunity to connect with friends outside of school by texting or calling them.

Nevertheless, Chen does not feel that using social media is entirely beneficial, as it can cause stress, anxiety and shorter attention spans. The short-form videos that many social media platforms use have been proven to decrease people’s attention span. This can cause problems with focusing in class, which can lead to poorer academic performance. In turn, this causes more stress and anxiety in kids to do well in class and push their grades back up. 

“You start to lose interest in your other hobbies because you’re just devoting so much time to your phone,” Chen said. 

Parolia echoes Chen. He uses his phone for six and a half hours per day and feels that it comes with heavy effects. He states that his ability to focus in school has been impacted drastically. He has also noticed that he forgets information more easily now.

“It’s been harder for me to focus, especially when I’m reading. I can’t read at the same pace I used to,” Parolia said. 

Aarav also feels that screens are bad for socialization. He believes that not many people are interacting with each other in person as much as he previously did. Chen has noticed the same impacts.

“They might have worse relationships with friends or family,” Chen said. 

Parolia also likes using his phone and other platforms to learn and explore the internet. He likes learning and growing from his phone and thinks that it can be a great resource in many ways.

Many parents wonder how to help their kids manage screen time and try to avoid many of the negative effects. A study by Stanford University showed that parents should avoid giving phones to their children until they are mature enough to manage their screen time effectively. This can help avoid the many negative effects there can be while still allowing kids to use their phones in ways they want to, when they are ready. 

“Supporting healthy sleep habits and helping teens develop thoughtful, intentional technology use [is] important,” Baran said.