Screened Out: Stuck at Home and Stranded on Screens

We spend time looking at screens for work, for social connection, and for relaxation so much so that screen time that it seems to suck up most of our day. Some mobile devices even provide a weekly screen time report to track whether we have spent more or less time in front of our screens and what we were doing. And, it’s not just children and teens; adults are often glued to their screens for just as long. 

In many ways, COVID-19 and the shelter-in-place mandate may have made our screen time even worse. With more time on our hands to binge-watch our favorite shows, hold Zoom calls for work and time with friends and the need for information to quell the uncertainty, screen time most likely has increased. It can be challenging to know what to do. 

Everyone may be stuck to their screens during this time, including kids doing their online work and maintaining their social lives. Between work, school, and the need to connect with others, much of the pandemic screen time has become a necessity. Adults and kids crave the outlet of certain screen activities like streaming movies and playing video games. 

To maintain good mental health, it’s also important to interact with your friends and family members who are stuck in their homes to minimize the loneliness. This is especially the case with kids and teens who may already be upset because they cannot hang out with friends or play sports. Yet, we could all come out of quarantine with bad screen habits that will be hard to break. 

Exploring the Science of Screen Time

That makes this the perfect time for a movie that addresses the science behind excess screen time. Set to premiere on cable, satellite, and digital streaming services on May 26th, 2020 in the U.S., “Screened Out” explores how we can regain control over our screen time. You will be able to find it on iTunes, Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, DirecTV, Dish, and more. 

You can also view “Screened Out” for free with Gabb on Monday, June 22nd, 2020 at 6:00 pm MST. There will be a Q&A with tips and tricks for managing screen time after the showing. Reserve your spot here!

This is a good movie for parents to watch with their kids and teens. Many who spend countless hours in front of a screen may not realize that it can adversely impact their perspectives, mood, and behavior. In turn, this could also damage relationships. Yet, after watching the movie together, everyone might better understand the impact of too much screen time. 

The movie also provides an opportunity to have an open and productive discussion. Everyone can share their thoughts on screen time and how to create screen schedules to keep that time under control. As a family, you may also be able to develop positive strategies for individual and family screen time. 

That may mean offering ideas of what else everyone might want to do or be interested in learning. Examples include a family board or card game night, hobbies and home projects, life skills development for kids and teens, and scheduled reading and exercise time. 

Take the ScreenStrong Challenge

The ScreenStrong Challenge is a free, week-long break from video games and smartphones. It’s designed to give your kids an opportunity to experience the things they’ve missed out on since gaming and social media stole their free time. For parents, there is a supportive online community where it’s possible to reach out to other parents for advice as well as ScreenStrong Ambassadors. 

The ScreenStrong Challenge is a productive way to get started on recalibrating your screen time to balance with outdoor time, family time, and physical activity time. By doing so, it may be the best way to get back to enjoying real life and authentic interaction with each other far away from a screen. 

Gabb, a phone for kids, helps to support the ScreenStrong mission.

Reserve your free ticket for the June 22nd, 2020 showing of “Screened Out” today!

Author Jana Dalby

Jana Dalby is a mother of eight children, a registered nurse, and one of Gabb’s earliest contributors.

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