As a pediatrics expert and mother of an eight-year-old, Emily Isom has seen the screen time debate firsthand.

“Kids are being introduced to technology early,” says Isom, a certified medical assistant in pediatrics at OSF HealthCare. “COVID was one of the reasons. Kids did schoolwork on their devices. That turns into using technology throughout the day. They get attached and addicted to scrolling and swiping. It’s glued to their hands.”

One way to break the cycle? Good old-fashioned ink and paper. Isom is reminding people, young and old, about the pitfalls of excessive screen time and the benefits of reading for fun, not just when you have to.

The concerns

Isom says constant screen time can weaken kids’ memory and concentration.

“It’s hard for a kid to focus on a reading assignment in school because they are so used to quick swipes on their device,” Isom says. Long term, Isom says this can lead to poor grades, missed academic opportunities and even a diagnosis of a learning disorder.

“Anxiety is also a big concern. I see this in older kids,” Isom adds. “Bullying online causes a lot of anxiety. There’s social pressure. They want to be not left out. Who’s texting me? What’s going on online? Am I going to miss this party? Is there something going on I should be involved in? They focus on this instead of schoolwork.” Isom also says kids are exposed online to traumatic news stories and adult content, leading to confusion about the world, stress and other mental health concerns.

The benefits

“If kids read on a regular basis, it’s going to sharpen their mind. It’s going to help them excel in academics. It’s going to give them a more open mind to the world. It’s going to help with memory,” Isom says. They’ll be more curious, she adds, not just about the book but about the world. This can pay off when they’re exposed to other cultures in college and the workplace. Books can also be an escape from everyday stress.

“Reading for fun [not just when it’s required for school] helps you find things you’re interested in,” Isom adds. “You might find a book you had no idea about. You open the book and realize ‘I like reading. I like this genre. This is different and cool.’ Then you keep reading. You want to learn more. It’s like being on the edge of your seat with a movie you can’t stop watching. It brings happiness. It’s almost magical.”

Tips for adults

How can parents and teachers get young ones to rediscover their love for reading?

• Let your child pick the book, but give them options that are fun and light. Save the books on heavier topics for when they get older.
   
• Make books available throughout your home. Place books on shelves or nightstands in bedrooms, living rooms and playrooms.
   
• Let kids see you read.
  
  “If they see you read, they’re going to read,” Isom says.
   
• Read with your child.
  
  “I can’t stress that enough. Reading with your child is going to get them to read more,” Isom says. “When you’re with them, showing them words and interacting with them, you’re challenging their brain. Kids love that. They say, ‘Hey mom, can we read this book tonight?’ Next thing you know, it becomes a habit. It’s a nightly thing.”
   
• Create a reward system for reading. For example, put a sticker on a posterboard for every book read. At 10 stickers, the child gets a reward like a toy or special meal. Isom says after a while, the child might forget about the rewards because they’ve developed a love for reading.

Traditional or tech?

We live in a digital world where some people read on electronic devices like a Kindle. Is that OK, or should you stick to paper books?

Isom says e-readers are fine since it’s not a constant scroll like social media.

Learn more

Read more about keeping your child healthy on the OSF HealthCare website. Pediatric care at OSF includes local clinics like the one Isom works at and OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria.

OSF also offers resources if your child’s screen time requires a visit to a mental health provider. Some resources are available even if you are not an OSF patient.

Interview clips

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Whether you’re curled up on the couch engrossed in an autobiography or tucked away in bed late at night with a good mystery, experts say there’s little doubt that reading is good for our health.

“It's one of the best things we can do for our mental health and our physical health,” says Ashley Pratt, a psychotherapist for OSF HealthCare. “It's been shown to greatly reduce our stress levels, lower our blood pressure, improve our memory and cognition, and it improves our sleep quality.”

Google the word ‘reading’ and there’s no shortage of statistics available when it comes to the importance of picking up a book occasionally. Research shows 75% of adults participate in some form of reading. However, according to another study, the number of children between the ages of 9 and 13 reading for fun has dropped in the last decade.

But Pratt says most people need just six minutes of reading time a day to see some health benefit, especially for children. And that’s good information to have this time of the year as kids head back into the classroom.

“Starting those skills and cultivating that love of reading and stories can be a great tool as they get older,” she says. “Especially in childhood and adolescence, having this skill can be a nice way for kids to find a place where they maybe can understand someone else's perspective or cope with maybe similar things that they're having to go through in life, like bullying and substance use.”

Pratt says reading fiction tends to be the most helpful when it comes to increasing skills such as empathy and our ability to learn and understand people. She adds that reading has been shown to increase resiliency and an ability to handle difficult emotions as readers learn about characters and the challenges they face.

Reading is also an escape. Readers can get lost in a story and go places and see things they might not otherwise experience. Pratt says: “It allows us time to be away from the things that are causing us stress, the things we ruminate on, or things that cause us to be stuck in a depressive or anxious mind and the ability to go somewhere else for a while in a healthy way. And then we can come back.”

While it’s easy to simply read from the comforts of home, reading is a hobby that connects us with the outside world. “It allows us to have social connections, because we can go to our libraries, bookstores, we can have book clubs, online forums,” says Pratt. “I think it's an awesome place to have connections and social situations that we may not have had before books and reading.”

If you simply don’t like to read, no worries. Pratt explains there are other ways to reap the benefits of reading. “I would suggest starting with something they're really interested in and doing small increments, or maybe even incorporating it throughout their daily routine,” she says. “Maybe it's an audiobook while they're doing chores or driving or whatever they can fit in in a day. But ultimately, trying to find something that they're interested in, and want to hear and be present for.”

So, whether it’s a few pages with your morning coffee to start your day or several chapters before bedtime, Pratt says go for it. In this fast-paced world we live in, who couldn’t use a healthy escape to help unwind?

Interview Clips 

B-roll

Research shows 75% of adults participate in some form of reading. However, another study shows the number of kids between the ages of 9 and 13 reading for fun has dropped in the last decade. 

According to Ashley Pratt, a psychotherapist with OSF HealthCare, most people need just six minutes of reading time a day to see some help benefits. Especially for children.

“It's one of the best things we can do for our mental health and our physical health," Pratt says. "It's been shown to greatly reduce our stress levels, lower our blood pressure, improve our memory and cognition, and it improves our sleep quality.”

Pratt says reading fiction tends to be the most helpful when it comes to increasing skills such as empathy and our ability to learn and understand people. 

She adds that reading has been shown to increase resiliency and an ability to handle difficult emotions, as readers learn about characters and challenges they face. 

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