Parentology is sending out a “Tune In” alert: This Friday (5/3), tune into ABC (8pm to 10pm ET) to catch Diane Sawyer’s special devoted the impact of screen time on families. We’re particularly excited to learn about the practical solutions Sawyer and her team gathered over six months.
We reached out to ABC to learn what would be on tap. They shared the breakdown below of topics covered. Their kick-off point: American adults spend the equivalent of 49 days a year on their devices.
Midwest Disconnect
After sending out a call to families across America, Sawyer and the team received messages from parents including a mom from the Midwest who said she felt so disconnected from her kids who were always on screens. ABC News brought in cameras and documented her family’s use of social media throughout a weekend, and therapists from the renowned Gottman Institute guided the family towards change.
Parents and Devices: How Babies Are Impacted
The report highlights experiments including one showing the potential impact on babies and toddlers when parents are on their screens for only two minutes, actors posing as job candidates who are distracted by their phones and how this behavior creates distrust in hiring managers, and college students feeling pressure to retouch and edit photos for social media in an endless quest for likes and comments and its effect on self-esteem
The Fortnite Phenomenon
As games like Fortnite and Overwatch explode in popularity, the average teen gamer now spends almost 12 hours a week playing video games. How do parents know that their kids are in trouble? The special reviews the latest research and interviews top experts to help guide parents through this highly-charged minefield.
Classrooms As No Phone Zones
Studies have found that students do better when phones are not a distraction in the classroom. ABC News visits schools across the country to report on the variety of solutions that help students learn without the distraction of technology.
Social Media’s Psychological Toll on Teens
70% of teens use social media multiple times a day. The report shows new research that suggests there can be a hidden psychological toll from this selfie habit.
Habit Forming Apps
The special talks to experts who say tech companies design habit-forming apps to encourage users to stay on the screen and interviews experts about online privacy, and the buying, sharing, and selling of personal data.
A Crisis in Online Privacy
Apple CEO Tim Cook sits down with Sawyer to talk about a range of topics, addressing families concerns about screens, and what he calls a crisis in online privacy.
Sources:
ABC News