Athletes and Excessive Screen Time
Almost every swim coach will tell you how easy it is to spot an athlete who has been spending too much time in front of their electronic devices. It is like talking to someone through a glass. You can see them, but they can't hear you. The familiar glazed eyes, the inability to follow simple instructions and lack of motivation is telling. It can be scary to put an athlete in a warm up lane with 15-20 swimmers when they have just been sitting in front of their ipad for an hour. It creates a very real safety issue.
This is why Falcons has a policy of NO electronic games or device use at our swim meets. Instead, this is the time for athletes to socialize and support each other. Interactive games are encouraged, as is actually watching the swim meet. A lot can be learned by watching others race, yet it is unfortunate how many athletes prefer to just sit in the canopy plugged in and spaced out.
While modern technology has given us many gifts, electronic devices need to used with caution and moderation. Excessive use has been shown to negatively impact both cognitive and emotional development. Depending on what your children are accessing on their devices, we also see less impulse control, more inappropriate behavior, and sometimes even violent outbursts.
Swim meets are not these only time device use has a negative impact on their abilities. We see it in practice as well. And if we are seeing it in an athletic environment, I would imagine it also has an impact on their academics and social interactions.
Following are some articles which support these findings as well as helpful ideas to negotiate this worsening trend.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10353947/
https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/14-creative-ways-to-break-your-childs-smartphone-addiction
https://www.goaro.com/blog/get-your-kids-to-ditch-their-phones-with-these-3-proven-tactics-no-yelling-required
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2025/06/screen-time-problems-children