Filed in: Health & Wellbeing | Education | Mental Health | Digital Tech
On September 4, 2024, the Co-Director of the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent, Andrew Fuligni, spoke to EducationWeek reporters at a webinar and media briefing about the importance of sleep in improving adolescent mental health. At the briefing, Fuligni explained that there is a rich body of research showing that poor sleep leads to poor mental health, and it’s a link that is getting overlooked in the current frenzy over cellphones and social media.
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In this webinar, hosted with Spring Point Partners, NSCA member Candice Odgers explored the real risks and benefits of digital technology use during adolescence, and discussed how we can support young people to develop the skills they need to successfully navigate new and existing technology throughout their lives.
NSCA member Candice Odgers was quoted in a New York Times article about the new screen time warning issued by the Surgeon General. Although the warning linked excessive time online to worse sleep issues, anxiety, depression, alcohol use, and other health harms, experts say the research is more nuanced. “Much of the existing research does not suggest that social media use is a major predictor of whether a child will develop mental health issues,” said Candice. Rather, she said, “it suggests that children who are already struggling with mental health or other issues are more likely to spend time online.”
