Costa's 3 Levels - Screen Time

Going to school has changed for many students. The spread of COVID-19 has made it unsafe for students around the world to gather in person for classes. Many students now use distance learning on computers for online class. People stay apart to slow the spread of the virus. Distance learning means lots of screen time.Kids are also stuck at home during their free time. Social media, television and video games offer ways to pass time. A Canadian organization of exercise experts recommends just two hours of screen time a day. With little else to do, kids are spending more time on screens.In April 2020, almost 1,500 parents in Canada answered questions in a survey about their kids' physical activity, screen time and sleep habits since the spread of COVID-19. Schoolwork does not count toward this amount. Nearly 9 of every 10 kids exceeded two hours of daily screen time, the survey reported.Studies have shown that kids who spend a lot of time on screens are more likely to have health problems. This includes eye problems, weight problems and other mental health issues. Right now though, kids depend on screen time to learn and socialize.Michelle Guerrero helped write the study, which came out in July. She is a doctor in Canada. She says different types of screen time have both advantages and disadvantages. You should be mindful of how much screen time you get, she said. However, for many families right now, "staying within two hours is just not realistic." Get Up And Go OutsidePeople often sit as they use screens. Extended time sitting leads to changes in the body's metabolism. A person's metabolism involves chemical reactions that happen inside cells and organs, allowing growth, movement and more.Changes in metabolism make health problems more likely, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Obesity means to be very overweight. It can be connected to a disease called diabetes. With diabetes, the body does not handle the hormone insulin correctly. Hormones are chemicals that control bodily activities.Doctors call these health problems metabolic syndrome.During the pandemic, being active may be harder than usual. Learning from home means students are not moving around their school. Many sports and other activities have stopped.Try to do at least one workout a day. Also try to get up and move around regularly throughout the day, even if it is to get a drink of water or play with a pet.Lin Yang has studied the amount of time people spend sitting. She's a public-health expert in Canada. She recommends getting up at least once an hour. Yang said to go outdoors for some of the breaks.Taking breaks is also good for your eyes. Problems with myopia, which is when distant objects look blurry, have been linked to screen time. Research has shown that it is also connected to too much time indoors. When you only look at things close-up, your eyes don't get practice focusing on distant objects. Experts recommend looking away from a screen to something farther away every 20 minutes.All Screen Time Is Not EqualTalking by video with family or doing homework online is a different type of screen time than sitting alone and playing video games.Taren Sanders is a scientist from Australia. In a 2019 study, he looked at how kids spent their screen time. Educational screen time was linked to doing better in school. It had no negative health effects. Other screen time, such as watching a movie, was linked to worse outcomes in health and school, the scientists found. Still, problems showed up mainly in kids spending more than eight hours a day on screens.An American organization of children's doctors encourages kids to spend screen time with others, not alone. Meals and bedtime should be free from screens."No Student Should Be Left Offline"For many students, the real problem is how they are going to do online classes.Khalid Patton is a teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. When his school switched to distance learning in March, he wondered whether families had computers and internet service.Patton's school offered laptops and internet service to families who needed it. However, not all schools do this. Many families do not have computers or internet access. Some students have missed class because of this.Looking On The Bright SideDistance learning has brought some positive changes. Nia Terry is a high schooler from Florida. She enjoys setting her own schedule. At home, many kids have more freedom to lie on the floor, pace around, move to another room or take breaks. Nia has been able to stand up and move around during online classes. This helps her think, she said. In a classroom, she could not do this as easily.Sanders has done research that shows that some students learn better when they watch videos of class. This may be because they can go back and listen to the challenging parts again. Use the article above to answer the following questions... 1) Why has distance learning become so common? LEVEL 1 QUESTIONS: 2) How much daily screen (not counting school) time does the Canadian organization of exercise recommend? 3) What are 3 problems which result from too much screen time? 4) What is metabolic syndrome? 5) What are 3 different ways we can manage our screen time to stay healthier? 6) How would you compare good and healthy screen time with bad screen time? LEVEL 2 QUESTIONS 6) What was the main point of this article? LEVEL 3 QUESTIONS 7) How will YOU manage your screen time to do well in school and take care of your health?