'Teens with Screens’ trend worries Richmond Hill parents

BRYAN COUNTY, GA (WTOC) - It’s no surprise. Children under the age of 18 are spending countless hours in front of screens a day whether texting, playing video games, or scrolling social media. Parents in Richmond Hill came together Thursday night to find out how they can combat this trend.

A Richmond Hill teacher told nearly 50 parents in the open forum that technology is changing quicker than we can study it. Maria Knight with Richmond Hill Middle Schol told WTOC she knew this topic needed to be tackled.

“It all fed back into ‘Why are our kids feeling anxious? Why are our kids feeling depressed?’ In middle school, we see a lot of these behaviors. What is that feeding back into? The answer kept coming up as technology, too much technology time and too much screen time," Knight said.

Experts said parents should set consistent limits on screen time. Also, create a family media plan and parents should always lead by example. The Richmond Hill Police Department said this is a issue parents need to take seriously.

“Parents need to be aware that many kids have secret lives on the internet that the parents probably don’t know about, so the parents need to be engaged, be nosy; dig in their kids phones," said Lt. Brad Sykes, Richmond Hill PD.

Parents took down notes of certain websites and apps that limit or monitor cellphone or WiFi time. Richmond Hill parent, Brooke Westbrook, said she does just that, but all in an effort to do what’s best for her kids.

“As far as privacy, we check her cellphone every night. We know who she is talking to. We know what’s going on and we feel like that helps us be engaged and know what she’s doing and who she’s talking to," Westbrook said.

Thursday’s meeting was a part of Richmond Hill Middle’s current series of parent involvement nights, tackling different topics. For more information, you can visit their Facebook page.

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