The Impact of Screen Time on Physical and Mental Health
Screen time now forms a big part of everyone, and it is mostly due to the
fact that people have to use their electronics for work, for communication,
and for entertainment. All factors of technology development are positive,
but there is a notable threat to physical and psychological preparation
created by overusing devices. The essay under considers the resulting
factors of excessive screen exposure, its causes and effects on general
health status.
Physical Health Issues
Sitting for long periods of time engrossed in screen work is a practice that is
bound to encourage many forms of health maladies to the screen users in
this case students in the us. An eye-related issue that is recurrent is the
digital eye strain which has other terms, computer vision syndrome showing
dry eye feelings irritation as well as blurriness that comes with too much use
of a screen. On top of that, working on such devices at poor angles can
cause strain on the neck shoulders and the back which may lead to pain.
Moving further is the blue rays that are associated with screens, they are
associated with the inhibition of melatonin leading to a lack of sleep and poor
quality of sleep. Lack of enough sleep on a normal range has adverse effects
on immunity and defines a person’s health status. In other words, the
inactivity associated with a high screen time can lead to risk factors for
obesity diabetes and cardiovascular diseases which include numerous heart
attacks.
The various effects of excessive screen time go further
Dealing with Excessive Screen Time
Technological advances made the world smaller, however, it is essential for
one to restrict their screen time usage in order to take care of their health.
Restraint needs to be exercised in terms of time and activities. Regular
breaks while working on technological devices can counter the fatigue
caused to the eyes. This can be achieved by using the 20-20-20 rule – look at
an object 20 feet away from the screen for 20 seconds after every 20
minutes in front of a screen. To sum up, adopting proper ergonometrics while
using any gadget routine physical exercises during the day ensuring the use
of blue light filters can help in reducing the negative impact.
Significant attention while using any screen should be paid to the
interactions occurring between the people in real life and not on a screen.
Stress and anxiety can also affect one’s mental health and therefore it is
crucial to incorporate healthy habits such as meditation. It should be the
responsibility of parents to ensure their children do not form any dependence
on technology.
Summary
There is no denying that in this day and age, screen time cannot be
completely eradicated. However, all the associated health risks must be
government-controlled. Threats to physical health such as insomnia and eye
fatigue tend to go hand in hand with depressive thoughts and feelings of
loneliness which underline the importance of adjusting one’s use of
technology to make it a healthier experience. If there are a couple of minor
changes made in the everyday routine while making sure device usage does
not get out of hand, adoption of the countless benefits of technology has the
potential to provide a positive experience.
