LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Lima's Jegna Corporation brought community members together to address the effects of online activity on our youth.
Two expert guest speakers explained why and how things like social media and gaming can impact teens' sleep, mental health, and academic performance. The talk is part of Jegna's free series that educates the public on problems commonly noticed by Lima's parents and educators.
Speaker Alfred "Coach" Powell, a clinical associate professor at Stony Brook University, says that social media can be a good thing if used properly and in moderation, but if parents don't monitor their child's online activity, it can lead to bullying, risky behaviors for social media challenges, and worsen their mental health.
"Understand your child's cyber life. It is your business; there is such a thing as a cyber life, and the way you ask your children, how was school today, you need to ask how was your cyber life?" Powell said.
"Being a coach and someone who works in the school system, juvenile court, I've seen it cost young people scholarships; I've seen it cost young people employment opportunities. I've seen it cost adults employment opportunities," added Emmanuel Curtis, the CEO of the Jegna Corporation. "It's really just about bringing that awareness, to slow people down, and to get them to think before they post, think before they play, think before they text."
Devices are also causing sleep deprivation. Medical experts say that teenagers need 8–10 hours of sleep each night, but many are only getting around 6.
"The blue light has a lot to do with it. It kind of affects our natural body's sleep cycle, so they're recommending that we need to turn the screens off at least one hour prior to bedtime. Just to reduce that blue light exposure, to kind of get that melatonin that naturally produces in our body to release," explained Gina Reynolds, the sleep center supervisor at Lima Memorial Health System.
Reynolds also recommends making the bedroom a place just for sleep by keeping phones, computers, and gaming consoles in a different room.
