Too Much Screen Time?

With the wide range of technological devices across the globe, many adults and children spend long hours consuming online content.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic increased these hours through increased work from home requirements, online school and home entertainment.

With growing evidence highlighting the negative effects of too much screen time in adults and children, there is an individual and parental responsibility to limit the amount of time spent in front of screens to reduce the impacts it can have on health and wellness.

Whether the constant use of devices is for work, education or pleasure, too much screen time can be harmful. The following highlights some of the effects that too much screen time can have on humans based on medical research from across a variety of countries:

• Obesity: Many studies show that the practice of a sedentary lifestyle can be a risk factor for obesity. Due to long hours playing video games, scrolling through social media and watching TV encourages unhealthy eating and a lack of physical activity. The risk of obesity also poses other serious problems for health such an increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
• Trouble sleeping: The time spent focusing binging a series, playing games or social media can interfere with the sleep schedule of many. This can result in going to bed at late hours and getting little to no sleep to prepare for the next day. Research also highlights that the light which is emitted from electronic devices affects the brain and the sleep cycle which can prevent people from getting a good rest.
• Impaired social skills: Since using digital devices is usually an individual activity, too much time using them significantly reduces the amount of time for real life face to face interactions. This consumption by the digital world can lead to anti-social tendencies in adults and children. As such, many people such with isolation and withdrawal which can result in variety of mental health disorders.

Better Health Magazine is published monthly by The Nation Publishing Co. Limited.

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