BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—New data reveals that one in three middle and high school students in Crawford County have experienced significant depressive symptoms in the past year, a trend local health experts are increasingly linking to “screen addiction.”
Christi Eckert of the Marion/Crawford Prevention Programs shared the findings following a national conference on youth mental health and social media. According to a survey of over 591 Crawford County students in grades 7 through 12, 33.1% reported feeling so sad or depressed over a two-week period that they ceased their usual activities.
Eckert warns that the brain’s reaction to constant digital notifications mimics the chemical response to addictive substances.
“It sounds crazy, but it’s true,” Eckert said. “Social media and screen time are now getting linked to dopamine receptors. It affects the brain very similarly to how addiction happens with substances.”
The warning comes as Ohio implements House Bill 250, which requires school districts to establish official policies limiting cell phone use during the instructional day. Experts note that the average teenager now spends roughly nine hours a day on screens, including over two hours specifically on social media.
Prevention programs are urging parents to delay social media access until age 13 or 16 and to model “digital hygiene” by setting phone-free zones during dinner and before bedtime.
“We define people by their Facebook lives where everything is perfect,” Eckert added. “But we have to realize we survived without this before. We need to keep ourselves in check.”