Are Devices Stunting Kids' Social Development?

There’s no question that children are spending more time with screens and devices than they were just a decade ago.  Many parents, caregivers, and medical providers for children wonder what this will mean for today’s children.  An April 2015 New York Times article by Bruce Feiler, Hey, Kids, Look at Me When We’re Talking, thoughtfully discusses the suggestion of whether or not ever-increasing screen time for young people is making them lose “...the ability to read nonverbal communications and learn other skills necessary for one-on-one interactions.”, contribute to sleep loss, and result in lowered self-esteem or conversely, does “watching television and playing video game…have cognitive benefits…”?

Pre-teen children who spent five days at an overnight camp without electronic devices or phones read human nonverbal emotional clues “significantly better” after their digitally-deprived camp experience than did a control group of children who had “retained usual media practices”.  It should be noted that the student were old enough to have pre-dated the era of ipads and cell phones and may have been reinstating skills learned in earlier childhood.  

Children and young people who are spending the majority of their day with screens and devices are missing important opportunities to interact face-to-face with others, to share feelings, to read non-verbal cues from others, and to learn empathy.  Often we learn about ourselves through getting to know others, as well as developing self-esteem and interpersonal skills. 

What are some ways we can encourage children to disengage from devices and engage with others?  Setting aside time for personal interaction can be an important skill-builder to give children some of the tools they need for relationships.  Isn't it interesting that there is not a disorder called "technology deficit" but there are disorders called "expressive language deficit" and "pragmatic deficits", and "social communication deficits". We need to spend more time in direct conversation with our friends and family to develop these valuable skills.