Picture this. In a world where technology and screens dominate the world, everyone is getting glasses. Everyone is affected by poor mental health and physical problems due to too much screen time and social media contact. Screens are being introduced to every newborn as soon as they enter our world, and all young children know is a technology and their iPads, causing them to be affected by avoidable issues that get more severe as they age.
Many would prefer to avoid this. This is also why young children should not be allowed near their devices for very long: to avoid causing them mental and physical health issues as they get older.
According to Time, studies show that excessive screen time can lead to psychological problems, such as “depression and anxiety, as well as health issues like poor sleep and higher rates of obesity.”
Furthermore, a study conducted by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, showed that the mental health of 143 university students improved in just three weeks after reducing their screen time.
Some may say that these studies are failing to consider any benefits the Internet provides. This argument may prove an obstacle for experts to convince people to cut back on screen time.
There are other counters too. “The content you’re consuming actually matters more than the overall time you spend on your phone,” says Yalda T. Uhls, an assistant adjunct professor of psychology at UCLA and former movie executive who studies the health effects of screen time.
Despite that, according to New Port Academy, about 84 percent of teens use social media, and over 60 percent of them actively engage with it every day.
Social media websites are notorious for causing social problems. According to Insider, social media can affect a teen’s self-esteem and social skills. In another study, where experts limited screen time for one group of 6th graders and let another group do as they pleased, they found that the group with less screen time had better skills interacting with other people.
This indicates that, while the content of what’s on the screen does matter, many connect with websites that are said to be damaging to mental health.
All of this may be pointing to one conclusion: too much screen time can be damaging to adolescents.
Many would prefer to avoid this. This is also why young children should not be allowed near their devices for very long: to avoid causing them mental and physical health issues as they get older.
According to Time, studies show that excessive screen time can lead to psychological problems, such as “depression and anxiety, as well as health issues like poor sleep and higher rates of obesity.”
Furthermore, a study conducted by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, showed that the mental health of 143 university students improved in just three weeks after reducing their screen time.
Some may say that these studies are failing to consider any benefits the Internet provides. This argument may prove an obstacle for experts to convince people to cut back on screen time.
There are other counters too. “The content you’re consuming actually matters more than the overall time you spend on your phone,” says Yalda T. Uhls, an assistant adjunct professor of psychology at UCLA and former movie executive who studies the health effects of screen time.
Despite that, according to New Port Academy, about 84 percent of teens use social media, and over 60 percent of them actively engage with it every day.
Social media websites are notorious for causing social problems. According to Insider, social media can affect a teen’s self-esteem and social skills. In another study, where experts limited screen time for one group of 6th graders and let another group do as they pleased, they found that the group with less screen time had better skills interacting with other people.
This indicates that, while the content of what’s on the screen does matter, many connect with websites that are said to be damaging to mental health.
All of this may be pointing to one conclusion: too much screen time can be damaging to adolescents.
