Screens are everywhere. We see them in our homes, schools, workplaces, restaurants, grocery stores, and more. Although technology is important for growth as a society, it can have many negative effects on teenagers. The average teen spends around eight and a half hours on screens per day, according to an article entitled “Constantly Connected: How Social Media Can Affect Your Child,” which was published on the website healthychildren.org. Teenagers who excessively use screens and technology often end up having mental health struggles, a harder time learning, and a poor faith life. As the world advances, technology is going to become more common, which poses a threat to the minds of young people. Marian students work together during a recent class. At Marian High School in Mishawaka, the faculty and staff do their best to promote learning offline in order to further support students in their academics, social life, and faith journey. From an academic standpoint, Marian’s teachers have noticed that students work well without screens. Not only do students tend to understand class material better on paper but they also have healthier communication with teachers. Staring at screens all day, every day, may seem fun to some, but it eventually becomes monotonous. When students are offline and attentive during seminar- and lecture-style classes, they are more excited to learn, and their brains are more physically active. Moreover, note taking can be difficult on electronic devices. Many students have mentioned that there is much value in having a physical textbook and notes so that they don’t need to rely on having a fully charged device with them to find their notes or text readings. Although digital learning is beneficial to students, old-fashioned paper and pens are extremely valuable within the classroom. Students often have a healthier social life without screens by their sides. It is inevitable that teenagers will be exposed to screens on a day-to-day basis, but as a school community, Marian officials work to limit screen time at school. With a strict cellphone policy, the school’s administration and faculty help students to stay away from social media distractions during the school day. Students have mentioned that the culture at Marian is much more controlled and healthier due to the lack of social media and technology at school. Checking Instagram, SnapChat, and text messages can be very distracting for most students, and it takes away from the value that comes from face-to-face relationships at school. If students have healthier interactions with others offline, it will help them to focus better during class and be more productive at school overall. As human beings, we naturally desire relationships with one another, which can and should be fulfilled without social media. When students spend too much time on screens, they often end up participating in risky activities, which could end up having negative effects on the student. If students have healthier interactions with others offline, it will help them to focus better during class and be more productive at school overall. Being a school that fosters its Catholic identity, Marian strives to build a strong faith life in each of its students. In order to create a safe and respectful environment, Marian chooses to limit time on technology not only to protect students against distractions in the classroom and in their social lives but also for keeping them more connected to the Lord. Screens are meant to be used as resources in healthy ways, but they often distract teenagers, and humans in general, from deepening their spiritual lives. Marian’s Pastoral Ministries department works to help students live a more faithful life, even with the distractions of technology. Teachers and students have found that because of the absence of cellphones and laptops in classrooms, students are more likely to want to participate in their faith as opposed to focusing on trivial things on social media. Overall, the community at Marian wants to create a healthy environment that incorporates technology when appropriate but doesn’t rely solely on technology to educate students. We have multiple traveling Chromebook carts that teachers can request for a day and plenty of readily available desktop computers in the library for students to use before, after, and during study halls. If schools avoid educating young people about technology, there may be supplemental consequences, such as an ignorance about technology in university settings and difficulty using technology in career environments. However, technology in the classroom is, more often than not, distracting to young, impressionable minds. Due to the growth of artificial intelligence and technology as a whole, it is crucial that students are given the opportunity to explore these resources within a controlled environment. As a community, Marian’s faculty, staff, and students want to participate more fully in and out of the classroom and foster stronger relationships with one another; however, this is best accomplished without the interruptions of technology. McKenna Rousseve is a sophomore at Marian High School. The post Marian Protects Teens from Overuse of Screens appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less