Students and Perceived Screen Time: How Often Are Students in a Rural School District Looking at Screened Devices?

As technology advances across the United States, schools should consider not only the benefits of using screened devices but also the short- and long-term effects on student health. Both the positive and negative effects of using devices are often intensified for students in rural schools, as online learning and the use of e-therapy becomes more prevalent. The purpose of this study was to investigate stakeholders’ perceptions of device use in one eighth-grade cohort in a rural school, differences between device use by students with and without disabilities, and to provide an awareness of student screen time exposure and its potential consequences. Basic qualitative methods were used to assess student, teacher, and parent perceptions of screen time use and perceptions of the recommended daily allowance of screen time in an eighth-grade cohort in a rural western New York school. Findings suggest that students, parents, and teachers perceive screen time as “excessive.” Implications for practice and future inquiry are reported.