Eyes on the prize: How to detach your kid from the screen as school ramps back up during COVID-19

Parents, we know that you're plate is already full between working at home and lacking childcare.

As we look ahead to the school year, you need to be on the lookout for one additional item: your student's screen consumption.

Dr. Mitch Prinstien is a mental health professional and a professor at UNC.

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"The part of the brain that is activated when we're on screens is the same part of the brain involved in addiction to recreational drugs. Once kids develop that kind of attachment t0 their screens, that's going to change the way they interact with screens of they're looking for rewards, maybe for years to come."

Dr. Prinstien says kids getting screen time now more than ever, and notes that because schools are asking students to use screens for learning, it could become difficult for students to determine the difference between good and bad amounts of screen time.

There are a couple of things you can do:

• Limit the amount of screen time to educational activities, with limited time on apps outside of that time.
• Don't use screens as a babysitter. That means don't use screens as a way to please your child.