A growing recognition of the value of boredom highlights concerns over children’s excessive screen time, with recent studies and official warnings urging a balance to foster social skills and emotional resilience.
At 11, the writer in RealClearEducation says she turned down a smartphone not because her parents barred her from having one, but because she feared becoming hooked on it. What felt like a personal hesitation then has since become, in hindsight, a form of protection from what psychologist Jonathan Haidt has called the “anxious generation”. Her argument is simple: boredom, once a normal part of childhood, is being pushed out by constant digital stimulation.
That concern now has official backing. In May 2026, the US Department of Health and Human Services warned that children and adolescents are spending roughly seven to nine hours a day on entertainment screens and said heavy use is linked to anxiety, depression, obesity and developmental problems. The advisory also stressed that many young people are on devices before bedtime, adding to concerns about sleep and in-person relationships.
The writer argues that phone-free moments force children to practise skills that screens can short-circuit: eye contact, conversation, patience and the ability to recover from social discomfort. That point lines up with a 2024 Education Week Research Centre survey in which 62% of K-12 educators said students’ ability to make and sustain eye contact had worsened over the previous decade. Teachers linked the decline to the pandemic, cellphones and social media.
She also describes how boredom opened space for reading, homework, exercise and self-directed interests, instead of quick digital escape. That fits with educational research cited in the essay showing that children often build deeper motivation when curiosity and autonomy drive learning rather than outside rewards. In that view, boredom is not wasted time but a condition in which attention, persistence and independent thought can grow.
Schools are beginning to respond. A 2024 study at Auburn University found that a cellphone ban at an Alabama high school improved engagement, face-to-face interaction, focus and collaboration, while students also reported better grades, fewer fights and less cheating. The larger case made in the essay is that technology can be useful without becoming a substitute for the ordinary discomforts that help children mature. In that sense, boredom may be less a problem to solve than a lesson to preserve.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
