Screen time the most harmful health crisis since youth smoking

The federal government has an established track record of implementing successful, high-profile awareness campaigns to protect and promote children’s health, and to change behaviour. Look no further than Health Canada’s comprehensive national anti-tobacco campaign in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which included a significant focus on reversing the damaging and costly trend of rising youth smoking rates. The campaign’s premise was that tobacco companies were producing and marketing products they knew were harmful and addictive. In addition, they were purposefully taking steps to make their products more appealing to addicts and future consumers: children. Unfortunately, the same is true today with children’s addiction to devices and social media. Thankfully, some of the same solutions we saw with tobacco policies are starting to be applied. Federal and provincial governments are introducing laws to prevent online harm and ban cell phones from classrooms. School boards are taking social media companies to court—with an additional five Ontario school boards and two private schools recently joining the lawsuit. Moreover, new investments are being announced for brain research and children’s mental health treatment. What is missing is a well-resourced national campaign that increases public awareness about the negative impacts of children’s devices and social media addiction and informs parents and responsible adults about practical steps they can take to be part of a solution that promotes a good night’s sleep and other brain-healthy habits. This spring, with doctors Heidi Cramm and Erna Snelgrove-Clarke of Queen’s University, Women’s Brain Health Initiative released troubling survey results from over 4,500 grade five to eight Toronto-area students who participated in its Brainable program. The survey exposed troubling linkages between children’s social media use and sleep deprivation. Despite being aware of the imperative to reduce screen time and prioritize restorative sleep, an overwhelming number of students find themselves trapped in a relentless cycle they struggle to break. There is a growing body of research, data, and recent public reports confirming that too much screen time can harm a developing brain and increase rates of youth anxiety, depression, poor eating habits, and sleep deprivation. In addition, numerous studies have already established negative mental health and productivity impacts of children and youth not getting enough sleep regularly. Early intervention is required to reverse this urgent children's health crisis. Women’s Brain Health is proposing a joint campaign with Health Canada and brain health education leaders to recreate the national effort against tobacco, and apply it to the new children’s health crisis of our time. The campaign should focus on increasing public awareness about the negative impacts of children with uncontrolled access to smartphones at all times of the day and night, particularly related to sleep deprivation and reduced physical activity. Along with educating parents on the steps they can take to prevent social media addiction and promote the benefits of a full night's sleep for children, there should be a platform where children and youth suffering through this reality can share their suggestions with their peers and educators. Additionally, the federal government should collaborate with provincial and Indigenous children’s health and education organizations and agencies, and tailor key messages for multiple cultures and languages to ensure inclusivity. With Health Canada’s successful anti-tobacco policy, millions of dollars were allocated to national health promotion campaigns that applied facts and dramatic imagery to increase awareness about the negative impact of smoking, particularly on youth. It worked. Before the campaign, tobacco use was portrayed as cool and rebellious, and often glamorized in the media. Tobacco companies sponsored major cultural events attended and viewed by children and families. After the campaign, tobacco was more aligned with poison. Smoking wasn’t cool anymore. Today, we would be remiss if we didn’t seize this opportunity to build on that established best practice in a way that can alter negative behaviours, protect children’s health, and address this generational challenge head-on. It is not too late to act. Lynn Posluns is the president and CEO of Women’s Brain Health Initiative, a Canadian charitable foundation dedicated to protecting the brain health of women, families, and caregivers. The Hill Times