Questions to Think About

• How do you prevent screen time from distracting you from offline priorities?
• What does using screen time "with intention” look like for you?
• What times of the day do you think it’s most important to walk away from screens completely?

Questions to Think About

• What do you do on social media that seems the most passive, where you’re scrolling and consuming but not actively engaged?
• What do you do that’s more active?
• How can you measure and manage a good balance of the two?

‍

More resources for parents, students, & educators

• Making Screen Time Fun While Reducing the Negative Impact
• ‍Balancing Video Game Screen Time for Teens‍
• 50+ Tips to Limit Screen Time Without Conflict‍
• Using YouTube to Explore Colleges and Careers

Conclusion

Many parents and educators are concerned about screen time's impact on a student’s motivation. We share that concern. Excessive screen time can impact a student’s motivation and cause many negative consequences. However, there are many positive uses for screen time if students choose to cultivate a healthy relationship with screens and use it to support their personal growth.

Teens live in a world dominated by digital devices. From the mesmerizing glow of smartphones to the immersive worlds of video games and social media platforms, screens have woven themselves seamlessly into the fabric of our daily existence. What impact does this screen time have on your teen’s motivation? We are diving into the relationship between screen time and motivation and providing practical strategies for navigating them. 

‍Educators and parents: Guide your students' reflection and discussion with this student worksheet. (Log in to your Google account and select File-->Make a Copy)

Questions to prompt discussion with students:

Parents and Teachers: View the full VIP Facilitation Guide here

‍What is the connection between screen time and motivation?

• Studies have found a connection between excessive screen time (especially entertainment-oriented screen time) and lower motivation in teens (Source: Emerging Investigators)
• The average teen spends 7 hours and 22 minutes a day on screens outside of schoolwork (Source: Gitnux.org). That time may be impacting their motivation for offline activities
• One of our student interns states that in the past, he was losing hours a day to social media. “Whenever I got up, I immediately checked Instagram and spent 3 or 4 hours on it without getting anything done, so it sucked me in.” (See Instagram App Guide 2024 video for more information)

‍What is emotional buffering? 

• Emotional buffering is when we choose to do something in order to avoid negative feelings like stress or anger and one of the most common ways teens buffer is by reaching for their phone and getting on their favorite app
• Buffering can allow students to “pause” their emotions just as they would if they watched an intense movie, felt overwhelmed, and then hit the pause button
• Buffering isn’t always bad, because sometimes our brain needs a break, but too much emotional buffering can prevent us from doing the more important things in our life

How to balance screen time to improve motivation

• Screen time management apps can be used to help teens regulate their own screen time
• Emma Lembke, from the Log Off movement, recommends that teens take a “5-minute power scroll” every month to evaluate who they follow and how it makes them feel (watch the full event replay for details)
• Use the screen time control features within each app to help keep screen time balanced

Replace negative screen time with positive screen time

• Teens can prevent screen time from impacting their motivation by using it more actively, such as learning a new skill like programming, graphic design, cooking, 3D printing, etc.
• One of our student interns recommends, “tailoring your following page so it is full of inspiring things and things that make you happy” (Watch the full event replay for details)
• Consume information that inspires you by listening to positive podcasts, watching YouTube videos that open your mind to something new, and following uplifting social media accounts

More resources for parents, students, & educators 

• Making Screen Time Fun While Reducing the Negative Impact
• ‍Balancing Video Game Screen Time for Teens‍
• 50+ Tips to Limit Screen Time Without Conflict‍
• Using YouTube to Explore Colleges and Careers

Conclusion

Many parents and educators are concerned about screen time's impact on a student’s motivation. We share that concern. Excessive screen time can impact a student’s motivation and cause many negative consequences. However, there are also many positive uses for screen time if students choose to cultivate a healthy relationship with screens and use it to support their personal growth. 

Questions to prompt discussion with students:

Parents and Teachers: View the full VIP Facilitation Guide here

Elementary School Students (dialogue starters):

There’s Life Beyond Devices

• What offline things are important to you that you might miss out on if you spend too much of your time on screens?

Tracking Time

• What are some practical ways you can keep track of how much time you spend online and set limits so you don’t overdo it?

What Games Can’t Fix

• Why is it better sometimes to deal directly with something you’re worried about—or ask for help—than look for an escape like playing online games?

Middle School Students (dialogue starters):

The Screen Calls

• Why is it so easy to jump onto social media when you know you have other immediate goals you need to achieve? 

The Social Media Escape

• Can you imagine a situation where a classmate might check into social media just to avoid a stressful situation?

Manage Your Screen Time

• What are some ways you can monitor and limit your own screen time so it doesn’t take away from other priorities in your life?

High School Students (dialogue starters):

Why Escapes Don’t Work

• What are some alternative coping strategies instead of going straight to social media to get your mind off a problem or stressful situation?

Getting the Job Done‍

• How can you be more aware of when you might be using screen time to procrastinate? 

A Day to Focus

• How do you think it would feel to avoid social media even for a day just to focus on meeting other goals?

Questions to Think About

Taking a Break from Screens

• What are some things you really enjoy that you don’t want screen time or other distractions to take away from? 

Tips for Tuning Out

• What tips in the video do you think would help you reduce your screen time? 

Managing Priorities

• In what important area do you think you might be more productive if you spent less time on social media?

Questions to Think About

• Where Did the Time Go?
  • If you use an app to keep track of how much time you spend on passive screen time, do you think you’ll be surprised by what you find out? 
• Hard to Stop
  • Why is it hard to walk away from online activities, whether it’s scrolling through Instagram or playing a game like Fortnite?
• How Much is Too Much?
  • What factors do you consider when deciding how much time you can afford to spend on passive screen time?

Questions to prompt discussion with students:

Parents and Teachers: View the full VIP Facilitation Guide here

Key takeaways: 

• Setting healthy boundaries, including time limits, helps students avoid a wide number of problems associated with excessive screen time
• A family media agreement not only establishes screen-time rules, it opens positive dialogue between kids and parents about what’s appropriate 
• Families that create and follow media agreements experience less friction and have fewer arguments about screen time
• A family media agreement should include all types of media, including videos and games as well as social media
• Parents can download a free family media agreement here: https://smartsocial.com/post/social-media-agreement

Dialogue starters for parents

To initiate conversations with students (by age group)

Elementary School

Making Choices

• What things do you do online (like watching videos or playing games) that you enjoy the most?

Middle School 

Where to Cut Back

• What kinds of videos, games, or apps do you think you spend the most time on, and which do you think would be easiest to cut back on to reduce your overall screen time?

High School

Importance of Time Management

• Given all the goals you have this year for school and other activities, how can you know if the amount of time you spend on social media might be too much? 

More resources for parents, students, & educators 

• Making Screen Time Fun While Reducing the Negative Impact
• ‍Balancing Video Game Screen Time for Teens‍
• 50+ Tips to Limit Screen Time Without Conflict‍
• Using YouTube to Explore Colleges and Careers

Conclusion

Many parents and educators are concerned about screen time's impact on a student’s motivation. We share that concern. Excessive screen time can impact a student’s motivation and cause many negative consequences. However, there are also many positive uses for screen time if students choose to cultivate a healthy relationship with screens and use it to support their personal growth.