Here at The Put It Down Project, we are students driven by a single goal; to raise awareness and educate parents, teachers, doctors, and children themselves about the mental and physical dangers of excessive technology use by our children.
(and yes, this applies to adults too!)
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WHO WE ARE
Here at The Put It Down Project, we are students driven by a single goal; to raise awareness and educate parents, teachers, doctors, and children themselves about the mental and physical dangers of excessive technology use by our children.
(and yes, this applies to adults too!)
​
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!
WHAT TECHNOLOGY ARE WE REFERRING TO? ALMOST ANYTHING WITH A SCREEN: PHONES, TABLETS, COMPUTERS, VIDEO GAMES, ETC...
WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE?
Technology helps us in so many ways, BUT there are also unintended consequences of the technology that has become such a large part of our lives. These consequences are even more pronounced in children.
We should all be concerned with the effect of excessive screen time that our kids are being exposed to on a regular basis. The younger they are while their brains are still developing, the more adverse the effects may be.
More kids are saying that they feel: sad, hopeless, useless, lonely, & left-out.
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1 IN 5 CHILDREN HAS A MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM
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100% INCREASE IN SUICIDE RATE OF 10-14 YEAR OLDS
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37% INCREASE IN TEEN DEPRESSION
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50+ % INCREASE IN ADHD
MENTAL ISSUES
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Depression.
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Anxiety.
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Social Isolation.
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Low Self-Esteem.
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Cyber-bullying.
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Sexting.
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Decreasing attention spans.
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ADHD has more than doubled since the 1990's.
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Impair developing brain function & structure.
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Lack of social skills (spending too much time with device instead of actual people)
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Slower to mature than previous generations
PHYSICAL ISSUES
Sleep Deprivation from bluelight and staying up late.
Reduces attentiveness.
Promotes sedentary behavior resulting in obesity.
Eye Strain (long term effects still unknown).
Neck & Spine damage from head tilt.
Hand & thumb damage.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP?
Encourage users to "Just Put It Down" for a while and do other activities
LIMIT EXPOSURE / REDUCE SCREEN TIME
Set rules on when devices can and cannot be used. Do not allow use within 2 hours of bedtime and make sure none are used in bed, ideally leave all devices in another room to charge overnight. Monitor screen time on devices that offer tracking. Swap chores for screen time. No phones at dinner. Encourage in-person interactions with friends.
CONTROL CONTENT
Closely monitor which apps or games your child is using to make sure they are age appropriate.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Children emulate their role models, try to follow the same usage rules that you put in place for your child (within reason of course).
USE PARENTAL CONTROLS
Many devices have parental controls that can allow you to control when certain functionality is accessible.
IGEN: THE SMARTPHONE GENERATION
A short 7 1/2 minute long video worth watching!
"We have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born after 1995, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person – perhaps why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness."
Dr. Jean Twenge