For many of us, our phones and our screens are such an inherent part of our lives that we are lost without them. Indeed, the average American teenager is spending as much as seven hours per day looking at a screen – not including time spent looking at academic content. That is a massive amount of your day spent simply staring at a screen, often without moving.
This massive amount of time staring at screens is believed to hurt our cognitive controls. We also find that our brains become less communicative than they do when they are active and engaging in ‘real world’ activity. This means that many younger people are shown to have poor memories and struggle to concentrate on things that matter.
When we take in information, our brain releases a hit of dopamine – that inhibits melatonin production, though, which means that we find it harder to feel the need to physically rest. This means that if you are spending lots of time on-screen, your body is less likely to feel tired, meaning you stay up later and sooner rather than later will end up physically and mentally exhausted.
Make screen time worthwhile, not simply a habit
Quality over quantity is the aim of the game when using screens. Sitting and watching an interesting documentary or an engrossing sports game? That can be a good use of screen time. Playing a video game or learning something? Again, this can be both useful and engaging. Sitting with the TV on in the background whilst you scroll through social media and your typically visited websites? Not so much.
You should try and make sure that you do not spend all your time – especially when in the company of others – staring at a screen. Life moves at a breakneck pace; one day you will find that people who you cannot replace are no longer there or present in your life, and your screen cannot bring them back.
Stick to one screen at a time, and use an app to help set up a time barrier for how long you can stay on your phone/screen. Use your time on-screen wisely, and it can start to become less of a chore and more of something you use to your advantage daily.
And while many of us use screens for work and entertainment, many of us spend far too long staring at a digital screen. Despite being a nearly all-consuming part of modern life, having a daily screen time allowance is very important.