Many adults attempt to blame the foolishness of the youth on the corrupting influence of their little talking boxes, their phones and tablets, infiltrating their mind and poisoning their brain. However, these prejudices are rightfully unfounded. The truth about the influence of exposure to screens can mostly be seen as beneficial.

There are trifling reasons to fear the prolonged exposure to Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens and the use of phones, such as the loss of sleep and concentration when used too close to bedtime, or the depreciation of some social capability. On the other hand, there are myriad benefits to children and teens relying on their devices.

One such reason is the decrease in anxiety proven to result directly from screen time. The American Academy of Pediatrics loosened its stance on how much screen time is detrimental to students after a surgeon used tablets to decrease the anxiety in the children they had to operate on. Before the procedure, the surgeon would give the child a tablet with many games installed on it, while they injected a sedative. While many children would be filled to the brim with anxiety during this time, the blood pressure of the screen-focused children was much lower than those without. Even after the surgery, they would give the children the same tablets while administering IV fluids and injections. The introduction of screens into the pre- and post-operational process was proved to lower blood pressure and anxiety more than the normal, pre-operational sedative, Valium, could. Even the adults and guardians of the children reported feeling less anxious about their child’s surgery when they were able to watch their child play on a screen. 

A new study by the Review of General Psychology magazine outlined the benefits of playing calming video games on devices, like Minecraft. This paper detailed that Minecraft actually drastically lowered children’s feelings of anxiety and depression during and after their play session. These studies into the benefits of screen time for the reduction of anxiety in children help break the preconceived villainy of the screens we spend so much of our lives behind.

Although the youth are perceived to be most at risk to the detriments of screen time, the impressionable nature of young people allows limited screen time — with occasional parental supervision — to be a learning opportunity for viewers into their early teenage years.