Screen time is up: Schools need to step in for the children

Fortnite, TikTok, YouTube, Minecraft, Snapchat.

The temptations on the phone are many, but some experts are concerned about the consequences of children's screen time.

Also read: How should screens play a smaller role for students? Understand the new recommendations ()

In Mariagerfjord Kommune, where all folkeskoler are now the first in the country to begin certifying their handling of screen consumption, the concern is shared.

- All schools must take a stance and have some discussions about the issue. That way, each individual school can find the solutions that work locally, says Helle Wolder, the principal.

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Children cling to the screen

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The certification is carried out through the company Dabeco, which trains both teachers, students, and parents in healthy screen habits.

It can certainly be used positively, emphasizes psychologist David Troutmann Madsen from Dabeco.

In just a few years, children's use of screens has grown significantly, reports Rune Lund Christensen, who is a teacher at Valsgård Skole. (Photo: © Rasmus Emil Bertelsen, DR)

- It's really great that children can play Fortnite with their friends, and maybe there's an e-sports team they can join, he says.

- The technology can be fantastic if there's a purpose for it. But unfortunately, many of these platforms, games, and media are designed in a way that keeps children and young people engaged for longer than they have a need or desire, explains David Troutmann Madsen.

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Teachers must be educated

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When a school is to be certified, Dabeco holds a workshop for the students, where they discuss how technology affects their daily lives.

But it's just as important to talk to the teachers and show them what children are using their time for, says David Troutmann Madsen.

- They are a part of children's lives. They can see when technology can be used purposefully, and when it's the technology that - so to speak - uses the children, he explains.

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A balance must be found

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Rune Lund Christensen is a teacher at Valsgård Skole and has personally experienced how technology has gained ground over the years.

- We're seeing a lot of very high screen use among children right now. We need to find a balance in their habits, both in the teaching and in the social lives of children, he says.

Valsgård Skole has a ban on using mobiles during school hours. It works well, say Stella Guldbæk Dahl, Oliver Jørgensen, and Thomas Kristensen from 6.A. (Photo: © Rasmus Emil Bertelsen, DR)

Rune Lund Christensen looks forward to becoming wiser about his own screen use, but above all, he hopes that the school's students will gain more insight.

- I hope that children will look at themselves and consider how they use their time, and what's happening in their brains when they sit in front of the screen, he says.

Mariagerfjord is the first commune in the country to certify all folkeskoler in handling children's screen consumption. Redovre, Slangerup, and Frederiksberg communes are following similar initiatives.

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