Nevada AG joins FTC  in encouraging children, families to learn screen time safety 

The Nevada Attorney General’s office and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are joining forces during National Consumer Protection week to remind people that too much screen time isn’t good for you.

Excessive use of screen time has been linked to body dysmorphia, depression, anxiety, and unhealthy sleep habits. Unsafe practices online also put children and teens at risk for biometric data collection, hacking of personal information, and targeting by sexual predators.

In 2021, teens consumed more than eight hours of screen time daily, according to a study by commonsensemedia.org — and media use grew at a faster rate post-pandemic than in the previous four according to the report. 

Screen Time usage is not equal across race, gender, and socio-economic status. Boys have higher screen times than girls. Black and Latino children use screen time more often than their white peers, as do children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds despite the digital divide, according to the commonsensemedia.org report. 

Teens in higher-income households spend less time on social media daily in comparison to teens in middle-income and lower-income households, according to the report. The report did not expand on or explore the reasons behind the differences in wealthy and poorer households for teen social media use. 

 “Screen media platforms are useful for both education and entertainment,” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a press release, “However, constant and prolonged use of these platforms increases the vulnerability of our personal information and can be a contributing factor to adverse physical and emotional health conditions.”

Families are encouraged to take steps to promote physical and emotional health and digital security like setting daily screen times, reviewing privacy settings on all apps, declining to accept friend requests from strangers, and “resist the impulse to exchange insults.”

For more information and resources on online safety for children and families, visit the FTC website.