Screen time & concentration in 11 year old

[LunchtimeNaps]

Has anyone had issues with their 11 ish year old and a lack of interest/concentration in life and school? My DD is very bright. Top set of classes and is in year 7. She's lost interest in most things including school. Nothing seems to interest her she's getting strikes and detentions at school. Cannot make a decision like what she wants for dinner/drink etc.

I don't think there is anything going on with her social circle. I can hear her happily speaking to her friends on her phone. I do check her phone every night when I take it off of her and there's nothing untoward on there.

I was wondering if it is simply too much screen time. Has anyone encountered this and have any insight or advice, or dramatically reduced screen time and found it helped?

Yes, my son is in Yr 7 and screen time affects us as a family as he's bored without his gadgets and its difficult to find anything he wants to do apart from playing games on gadgets!! Once he's out he enjoys himself, but I can see he is going through this awkward teenage stage! I do put time limits in place on gadgets, which he doesn't like and gets stroppy about!

I think its hormones and the dreaded teenage stage, screen time does affect their mental health!

We didn't have all this technology when we were younger! Kids grow up so much quicker these days!

I don't know if it's true, but they say the tech bros (Gates, Jobs etc.) don't let their own children have screens. The Guardian had an article about how children do better at school without screens, but I can't remember exactly what it said.

Read the book the anxious generation by Jonathan haidt. 11 year olds should not have their own phones or social media.

This sounds really familiar a lot of kids hit a dip around this age. Even very bright kids can suddenly lose interest, struggle with decisions, and seem flat or distracted. It’s a big transition year: more structure, more expectations, more social noise. It can be overwhelming even if their friendships are fine.

Screens can definitely play a part, not just because of the time spent on them, but because the constant stimulation makes school feel slow and effortful by comparison. A small reset (like limiting after-school screen time for a couple of weeks) can help help improve focus and mood.

A few things that usually help at this age:
• A simple after-school routine so they’re not making too many decisions
• Earlier sleep than they think they need
• Very small responsibilities to build their confidence back
• Keeping conversations light rather than pressuring them to “care more”

We’ve been working on Coggi, a kids’ wellbeing tool that includes a short assessment to spot whether the issue is attention, overwhelm, or emotional regulation, plus tiny activities like breathing to rebuild focus.