Health Hotline Magazine | August 2026

Reassess their time on social media & encourage physical activity—outside

As any modern parent knows, the struggle over screentime is real, and I would even contend that it’s one of the most challenging parts of parenting today. Research backs up what parents and caregivers already know—all of this screentime is not good for kids’ mental health. One recent review found evidence from a variety of studies that “…implicate smartphone and social media use in the increase in mental distress, self-injurious behavior, and suicidality among youth; there is a dose-response relationship, and the effects appear to be greatest among girls.” In other words, the more time spent online, the more likely they are to develop mental health issues. Another study investigated how screen time affected the mental health of kids between the ages of two and 17 and found that as screen time increased, mental wellness decreased. Among 14- to 17-year-olds, those that had seven or more hours of screen time each day were more than twice as likely to have been diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety and to have been treated by a mental health professional or taken medication for a psychological or behavioral issue in the past year. Seven hours may seem like a lot, but it’s the average time most teens spend on screens. But we also know that social media is how a lot of kids connect—many adolescents say social media helps them feel more accepted, to feel connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives, acts as a support network in tough times, and is a place to show their creativity. The critical point seems to be how much time they spend on social media. Any parent knows this struggle well, and for many, it can feel like a constant battle. But this is a battle worth fighting. Working with our kids to set healthy boundaries and limits around social media use has become a modern-day parenting necessity. And at the same time we work on helping our kids reduce their screentime, let’s encourage them to spend more time outside being physically active. Make it a family affair! Walks around the neighborhood or a local park, bike rides, hikes, and swimming at the local pool are easy enough to get the whole family involved. Or sometimes, it just takes a parental push: My teen recently had a friend over (they are both 14) on a gorgeous spring day and I found them sprawled on the couch on their phones. I told them to put the phones down and go sit outside under the trees for just 10 minutes. They moaned and groaned, BUT! once they were outside, 10 minutes passed,

then another, and another. They were playing outside, without their phones, long past the 10 minutes I originally gave them. Our kids want to be kids (even the teens, though they may not admit it), they don’t want to be addicted to their devices. This is where adults have to step in and set the boundaries that kids can’t make themselves. Regarding the JAMA study, Dr. Frederick Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at the Seattle Children’s Hospital says, “Kids are the canaries in the coal mine. When kids’ health changes, it’s because they’re at increased vulnerability, and it reflects what’s happening in society at large.” It’s up to us adults to change this. We owe it to our children, and their health.

For references, please visit naturalgrocers.com/issue-109

Natural Grocers ® | 45