We have all found ourselves endlessly scrolling through social media or have found ourselves responding to texts for an excessive amount of time. Most people wouldn’t usually think about how their screen time could be damaging their well-being because it seems that everyone has an excessive amount. The average American teen spends 8 hours and 39 minutes a day looking at screens. However, many of us may end up spending more time than that each day because of the laptops we have to use at school. No matter if you’re spending eight hours a day on screens or more, it’s still damaging to your health.
The first reason why excessive screen time is damaging people’s health is that screens disrupt our sleep. Screens disrupt our sleep by producing a blue light that decreases melatonin. Melatonin is a sleep hormone that our brain produces in response to darkness. This decrease in melatonin makes it much harder for someone to fall asleep. The National Sleep Foundation states “…exposure to blue light at night stimulates your brain into thinking it’s earlier in the day. Your brain slows or stops its release of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep.” It is important to get enough sleep for many reasons but the most beneficial ones are that it boosts your immune system, improves brain function, and reduces stress. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that teenagers should get 8-10 hours of sleep each night. This may seem like a lot, but 8 hours is still a good amount of sleep considering that most teens get 6-7 hours each night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you stop using screens approximately 30 minutes before you go to bed in order to get a good night’s sleep.
The second reason why excessive screen time and social media use are damaging your health is because of the attention span problems it causes. Social media can reduce your attention span and make it harder to focus for long periods of time. Since it gives you information at a rapid pace, we have become used to this rapid information delivery. Palak Sharma, a development practitioner states, “As we become accustomed to rapid information delivery and instant gratification, our brains adapt, and our capacity for deep, concentrated thought diminishes.” This is why you probably find it difficult to focus on long lectures or videos.
The third and last reason why excessive screen time and social media use are damaging your health is that it reduces productivity. Have you ever found yourself getting distracted by notifications while you are trying to get an important task done? Most of us have procrastinated doing our homework or other important tasks because we would rather chat with our friends or scroll on social media. “… Constant use may also bring negative consequences, such as a loss of productivity due to interruptions in work life,” stated the National Institute of Health. Being productive every day will make you feel better about yourself because you get everything you need to get finished. As you can see, cutting down on screen and social media use can improve your sleep, increase your attention span, and increase productivity.
