Are Students 'Digitally Distracted?'

 Is it possible that before the age of 21, a teenager will spend a combined 4.6 years playing video games, talking on the phone and watching television?  

According to Dr. Thomas Kersting, the student assistance coordinator in the guidance office at Indian Hills High School, it is.

The average student, according to Kersting, will play 10,000 hours of video games, spend 10,000 hours on the phone and watch 20,000 hours of television, all before the age of 21. This totals 40,000 hours, which equates to 4.6 years.

This statistic was presented at a special forum for parents Thursday evening at the school in Oakland.

Kersting discussed with more than two dozen parents and guardians in attendance the impact cellphones, Blackberries, computers, the Internet, iPhones and other electronic devices are having on kids.

"We have been seeing an increase in kids in dealing with ADD (attention deficit disorder) and over-reacting to situations that would not call for something so drastic," Kersting said.

Based on his research, kids are disconnecting more and more from the outside world due to their extensive use of technology.

"The worst of it all is, we are seeing an increase in sleep deprivation," Kersting said. "I have had some kids tell me that they do not get to bed before 4 a.m."

Kersting cited the Kaiser Family Foundation's statistics. He said that parents should be concerned that 73 percent "of 11 to 14-year-olds report having no rules about how much television they can watch," and 75 percent of students aged 15 to 18 "report having no rules as to what they can watch on television."

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, "two-thirds (64 percent) of young people say the (television) is usually on during meals, and just under half (45 percent) say the (television) is left on 'most of the time' in their home, even if no one is watching."

Besides television, Kersting cautioned parents about allowing their teens on social media sites. He warned specifically about Formspring.me.

"If your kid has an account, get your kid off this," he said. "I don't care what you do, just get rid of it."

Formspring is a website where students can put their information up and ask their peers to rate them, and they are rated anonymously.

Kersting said he had heard Formspring had played a part in a suicide that occurred earlier this year. Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old girl from Ireland who attended South Hadley High School in Massachusetts, hung herself.

"Prince's bullying was not limited to school grounds but continued through threatening text messages, as well as on the Internet, as she was taunted with slurs such as 'Irish slut' and 'whore' on Twitter, Craigslist, Facebook and Formspring," said writer Raven Clabough for the "New American" website. 

As to how parents are to handle this and prevent their children from becoming a "lost generation,"  as one parent was overheard to say, Kersting said the problem was actually a simple one.

"Get back to the dinner table," he said. Kersting explained that bringing parents and kids around the table to discuss the day can go far. He said this is a formative time in their lives and doing this will help foster a better social atmosphere.

He secondly suggested a "Pull the Plug" campaign and encouraged "tech-free" nights allowing more interaction between family and friends.

"No cell phones, televisions, iPods or any of that," he said. By doing those exercises it will continue to help make the family a cohesive unit, allowing students to better deal with day-to-day issues.

"It's not like we saw this (increase in technology) coming," Kersting said. "However, if we approach this incrementally and with an open mind, we will be able to help our kids."