Parents and experts say Rogers’ program is a good first step in reducing youth’s screen time

Toronto mom Andrea Crisantho says controlling screen time is one of the biggest difficulties for teens and parents of teens today.

She says those kids grew up during the pandemic when being online meant connecting with teachers, friends and family.

Today, “They don’t see the dangers of it. They haven’t been brought up any other way.”

Chrysanthou actively controls her 12-year-old son Nathaniel Charles’ smartphone use and they regularly talk about what he might encounter online, such as sludge materialFor example, or AI-generated deepfakesYet she still saw him become irritated by online videos, angry when told to turn off the power, and struggling to limit his screen time,

“It’s not on them. They can’t do it themselves. And so it’s very much on the parents — in addition to everything else — to monitor,” she said.

Telecom giant Rogers on Thursday Announced a new program of $50 million To tackle excessive screen use among young Canadians over the next five years.

Multidimensional Screen Break Initiative – Incorporating partnerships with community groups and ongoing research targeted at families and schools is a good first step, according to parents and experts. But they want to see more from tech and telecom companies and governments to tackle the problem.

“Connectivity brings us closer together and it connects us to the world around us, but excessive screen time is a real concern for our customers,” Rogers President and CEO Tony Staffieri said in a statement.

“Screen Break is our commitment to helping young people build a healthy, balanced relationship with their screens.”

The initiative includes giving grants to YMCAs and other organizations promoting physical activity and launching annual research into screen use. An in-school component will enlist professional athletes – including the Toronto Blue Jays. george springer and hockey stars Connor McDavid, Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Nurse – to talk with teens about healthy screen use and host “active living” clinics.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Nicole Racine, CHEO Research Institute scientist and associate professor at the University of Ottawa, sees the program as a step in the right direction.

“Parents are concerned. Young people themselves are being affected by too much screen time. Physicians and health care providers are also concerned,” he said.

As technology accelerates — for example, she’s also concerned about children’s access to artificial intelligence and AI chatbots — “these are important issues we need to pay attention to and think about to ensure the well-being of children and youth,” Racine said.

“Excessive use of screens and social media is associated with poor health, connectivity, and reduced physical activity and sleep.”

What makes people well, he said, is “being connected to others, being outside, being physically active and getting good sleep.”

Trust the fox?

Technology analyst and journalist Carmi Levy praises Rogers for the investment, but has some reservations.

“This is a company that has spent the better part of the last 20 years of the smartphone, social media and wireless era pioneering technologies, products and services that are addictive by their design and definition — and especially to young users,” he said from London, Ontario.

“Would you trust a fox guarding the henhouse?”

He said he believes the Rogers initiative broadens the conversation at a time when the online safety of youth has become a growing concern around the world. Australia imposed its historic social media ban on users under 16 about a month ago, which has prompted discussion in Asia, Europe and North America.

“It’s been a long time coming for industry, governments and other stakeholders to finally come together and try to solve this problem,” Levy said.

“It starts to put other entities, other stakeholders on notice: ‘You also have to step up and come up with your own plan.'”

chrysanthou Rogers praises the initiative as a new tool to help parents in the constant struggle to control screen time, but she’s also eager to see more telecommunications and tech companies follow suit and the federal government step in with more regulation.

She says that while kids are stepping into online spaces that aren’t being fully monitored, the same isn’t true for anything that kids typically access.

“You can’t buy a toy that hasn’t gone through some type of regulation. You can’t wear pajamas that aren’t regulated for fire safety,” he said. Chrysanthou, which is part of Children First Canada, a national charitable organization that has lobbied the federal government to improve online safety for children,

“There needs to be regulation here, just like everything else…that says, ‘Okay, you have a responsibility to the people using this platform in this country. We’re going to hold you accountable.’