Executive function skills and screentime
The aim of this blog is to explore the key executive function skills your child/ tween/teen needs to be able to manage screen time (be it a phone, gaming on an iPad or social media).
Many parents I work with are battling issues with screen time, in particular the difficulties they face getting their child OFFLINE and back into the real world. We know why screens are addictive, for both adults and children. Social apps and gaming content all work on the principal of intermittent reinforcement. Much of the content we see is boring. Just often enough we see something interesting that keeps us clicking. The delivery of rewards at irregular intervals is termed “intermittent” reinforcement. Sophisticated gaming and social media platforms use this technique to keep us online for longer with the end aim of getting us to view advertising and buy something. Popular games such as Roblox are purposely designed to keep kids fixated as long as possible and purchasing as much Robux as possible. Social media works in a similar way for teens and adults.
However, there are a few reasons why adults are better equipped to manage time online.
We have a pile of other responsibilities (e.g., work, chores) that we can prioritise (using our finely tuned executive function skills).
We lived BS (before screens) so have real-life experience of what life was like before the online world.
Most importantly, if we are over the age of 25 (approximately) – we have fully developed frontal lobes and streamlined, well-executive functioning skills (well for the most part 😊).
Executive function skills are the high-level cognitive skills that allow us to plan, organize, initiate, rationalise, monitor, and adjust our actions so that we can achieve goals. These skills are essential for everything we do in life and influence the way we learn, work and socialise with friends.
Executive function skills are vital for being able to manage screen time. For example, to get tasks done (e.g., work, homework, chores) we must be able to “inhibit “certain responses so that we can resist impulses and distractions and stay focused on a task until we complete it. This is not easy! Consider the number of times each day a phone alert or online distraction pulls us away from own work or chores. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to switch between tasks, “go with the flow” and adapt to new situations. This is tough for younger children who are prone to extreme “tech tantrums” if something comes up and they need to turn off the tech. As we get older, we are more able to effectively manage time and are far less likely to pick up our phone if we know that we have a pile of things to do before we leave the house in an hour.
One of the biggest difficulties children/tweens/teens have online is that they find it difficult to “filter” and inhibit responses. For example, kids tend to hit send far quicker than (most) adults. Their underdeveloped executive function skills mean that they do not have the skills to reflect and consider the impact of their response(s). They struggle to think ahead and make appropriate judgement calls such as “hmm, she might show this to her Mum”; or to think into the future and consider “what might my future boss think of this picture”? Young children often do not understand that even if they delete a message, a screenshot may have been taken and may be saved indefinitely or forwarded on at any time. Another issue for young people is the ability to judge what is real and what is not on social media. Many children do not understand that images are often heavily filtered and may not represent real life. They also do not have the skills to judge where information on platforms such as TikTok or YouTube is coming from. For example, there are many “influencers” online posing as health professionals (or other), without appropriate qualifications.
Young people are also more likely to be exposed to toxic influences online. Yes, in many ways they are a “tech savvy” generation, however we cannot expect them to have the have the cognitive skills and experience needed to deal with inappropriate content, cyberbullying, sexting and online predators. They also do not have the maturity to deal with online addiction, poor sleep associated with being online late at night and other effects that excess screen time may have on their mental and physical health.
In childhood, executive function skills are still developing and continue to improve through adolescence and early adulthood. Keep in mind – the online world is not all “bad” and there can be many benefits of gaming, connecting and learning online. As your child grows and develops, they will continually refine and improve their executive function skills. What is important to remember is that these skills take time. The prefrontal cortex of the brain continues to develop until we are in our mid-twenties. As the brain physically matures, we also learn from experience, e.g., making mistakes, reflecting on them, and not making the same mistake again. And to be clear - drunk texts can be (partially) blamed on the fact that alcohol suppresses the prefrontal cortex which is involved in high-level executive function skills such as inhibiting responses.
Every child is different and there is no magic age at which a child will suddenly have all the skills needed to manage screen time (to be frank, many adults also struggle). I created the list below as it provides parents with a checklist that covers the 10 key executive function skills needed to manage screentime. My 11-year-old was keen to answer “yes” to all 10 but upon careful reflection it opened an interesting conversation regarding just how tricky some of these skills are. And if you feel that your child struggles with some of these skills - proceed with caution and delay!
Please see HERE to download the questionnaire as a pdf.
And … if you want ALL of the tools to help your child with executive functions skills and emotion regulation - I have a VERY reasonably priced short course that includes all of the information you need here Executive Functions Course
