8 hours: Teen screen time doubled during pandemic

Also: How to avoid talking about diet and weight loss during the holiday season [View in browser](    [❤️]( November 29, 2021 Hello CommonHealth readers, Welcome back from a long weekend for many! Was Thanksgiving a break from screens as you reconnected with family and friends in person? Or was it another holiday mediated by Zoom, FaceTime or any of the other technologies that have played such a prominent role in pandemic life? I’ve had screen time on my mind lately – that’s because of a study I [reported on]( in JAMA Pediatrics that asked how the pandemic has affected adolescents' screen time. The answer: a whole lot! Before the pandemic, studies found that young teens spent just under four hours a day on screens. In May 2020 – the height of COVID lockdowns – that number catapulted up to nearly eight hours a day. And, that figure doesn’t include time spent attending Zoom school or doing homework. This study also found a link between more screen time and worse mental health. I called up Michael Rich at the Digital Wellness Center at Boston Children’s Hospital to get his thoughts on these findings. The two most interesting things that came out of that conversation: - Even when things began to reopen in the summer, teen screen time continued to tick upward, according to Rich. - Rich also thought it was important to distinguish between types of screen time. He said there seems to be less of a link to poor mental health when screens more closely replicate real in-person interactions. - He suggests texting in real time or video chatting might fall into a different category from scrolling through a social media feed. All this thinking about screen time convinced me to set up the "Screen Time" report on my phone so I can get a better sense of which apps I am using and how much. Do you get these reports? Have you noticed changes in your personal behavior since the pandemic? Feel free to reply to this email to share. Gabrielle Emanuel Health reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [How to avoid talking diets, weight loss and more during the holidays]( For those struggling with body image or their relationship to food, the holidays can be extra stressful due to the added emphasis on food and weight during the holiday season. [Read more.]( [How to avoid talking diets, weight loss and more during the holidays]( For those struggling with body image or their relationship to food, the holidays can be extra stressful due to the added emphasis on food and weight during the holiday season. [Read more.]( [Hospitals and nursing homes frustrated by ambulance staffing shortage]( An ambulance staffing shortage is affecting patients across the country. Some patients remain in the hospital for an extra day waiting for a ride to a rehab facility. And nursing home residents are missing cancer treatment and MRI appointments. [Read more.]( [Hospitals and nursing homes frustrated by ambulance staffing shortage]( An ambulance staffing shortage is affecting patients across the country. Some patients remain in the hospital for an extra day waiting for a ride to a rehab facility. And nursing home residents are missing cancer treatment and MRI appointments. [Read more.]( [As omicron spreads, studies suggest that travel bans alone don't do much good]( Public health experts warn that the rush to impose travel bans on southern African countries after the omicron variant was identified can work against scientific transparency. [Read more.]( [As omicron spreads, studies suggest that travel bans alone don't do much good]( Public health experts warn that the rush to impose travel bans on southern African countries after the omicron variant was identified can work against scientific transparency. [Read more.]( [What specialized clinics may do for long COVID, as many questions remain]( Post-COVID clinics are emerging to support patients with this still mysterious, debilitating disease and treat their symptoms. Patient advocates want more attention on the cause of and remedies for long COVID. [Read more.]( [What specialized clinics may do for long COVID, as many questions remain]( Post-COVID clinics are emerging to support patients with this still mysterious, debilitating disease and treat their symptoms. Patient advocates want more attention on the cause of and remedies for long COVID. [Read more.]( [Teens' screen time doubled to 8 hours a day during the pandemic — not counting schoolwork]( Before the pandemic, teens spent just under four hours per day using screens. At the height of pandemic lockdowns, that shot up to nearly eight hours a day on top of remote schooling time. And, as things began reopening, that number is not going down. [Read more.]( [Teens' screen time doubled to 8 hours a day during the pandemic — not counting schoolwork]( Before the pandemic, teens spent just under four hours per day using screens. At the height of pandemic lockdowns, that shot up to nearly eight hours a day on top of remote schooling time. And, as things began reopening, that number is not going down. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 Like many, we're reading about the omicron variant. We still have a lot to learn about the highly-mutated COVID-19 variant that emerged from Southern Africa. But we’ve found a few sources particularly helpful in piecing together information: - [This piece in the Financial Times]( offers an overview and visualizations that compare the omicron with other variants. - [This piece in the UK’s Telegraph]( offers insights from the South African doctor who first raised alarms about the variant. She says the symptoms she's seen in her patients have been different from previous strains – and mostly mild. - [This piece by Reuters]( offers a peek into the political fallout as South Africa says it’s being “punished” for its impressive ability to quickly detect and sequence emerging variants. "Excellent science should be applauded and not punished." — [South Africa's foreign ministry]( frustrated by travel bans linked to the new omicron variant ICYMI [How SARS-CoV-2 in American deer could alter the course of the global pandemic]( Scientists have evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is circulating in white-tailed deer in the U.S. They say the findings could essentially dash any hopes of eliminating the virus in the U.S. — and the world. [Read more.]( [How SARS-CoV-2 in American deer could alter the course of the global pandemic]( Scientists have evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is circulating in white-tailed deer in the U.S. They say the findings could essentially dash any hopes of eliminating the virus in the U.S. — and the world. [Read more.]( Did you know... some birds [fake their own deaths]( – with strategically arranged feathers – in order to ward off would-be predators? 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2021 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.