The Effects of Long Periods of Screen Time
Do you have shoulder and neck pain? What about blurred vision or headaches? If so, you are not alone. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of hours people spend on their computers and cellphones, as many students, teachers, and workers are attempting to go about their normal routine virtually. Blinded by the need to maintain normalcy, many people are unaware of the damage that screen time can have on your physical and mental health.
As most may already know, long hours on the screen can cause strained and dry eyes, neck and shoulder pain, headaches, and blurry vision, but many do not know about the negative impact screen time can have on your brain. If you are someone who uses electronic devices before bed, it is important that you know that the blue light from the screen can cause the suppression of the hormone melatonin, which is known to promote sleep. The suppression of this hormone can lead to an inadequate amount of sleep, which can be damaging, especially for young children and teenageers, whose brains are still developing.
Additionally, studies have found that the constant need for social media content and video games can lead to addiction as a result of the consistent activation of the hormone dopamine, which is known as the also “feel good” hormone. The risks of developing diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer all increase as the amount of time spent on a screen increases. Prolonged screen time also leads to the onset of childhood obesity as many children spend more time gaming and watching TV than being active.
Long hours spent on devices can be especially detrimental to children and teenagers as it affects emotional development, social development, and language skills. The instant gratification gained from the use of devices can lead to emotional instability in children as they can be misled into believing that everything in life produces instant results.
Extended periods of screen time also leaves no space for boredom, which Pediatrician Michael Rich states is the space where creativity and imagination occur. He goes on to say that with devices, there can be a lack of offline experiences, such as building in-person relationships, which in turn results in underdeveloped social and language skills in children. It was also found in a study conducted in 2016 on children of the ages 2 to 17 that more hours on the screen correlated with lower psychological well being, less attentiveness, more distractibility, and less self-control.
Even though many of us have obligations that result in our inability to lessen the number of hours we spend staring at a screen such as school, there are steps that can be taken to reduce some of the effects. To lessen the burden of screen time on your eyes, you should consider investing in computer glasses that could reduce eye strain. Another idea is to keep a good distance between you and the screen, along with having a comfortable setting with very little glare from windows and lights. Additionally, you should rest your eyes every 20 minutes or even try looking 20 feet away from your screen for around 20 seconds. To prevent the suppression of melatonin in your brain, it is best to avoid using your phone 30 minutes prior to going to sleep.
The bottom line to preventing any of the negative effects of long hours of screen time is to budget your time spent on the computer or on any devices by taking breaks, eating healthy, doing at home exercises, and interacting with others safely.
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