Globally, people spend around 7 hours a day looking at screens. Screens, whether phones, computers, televisions, tablets, or something else, have become an important part of our world. Screens are necessary to work, complete school assignments, entertain us, socialize, shop, and have become our go-to for even simple things like keeping track of grocery list or what we have going on day-to-day.
Despite screens being necessary for much of our daily lives, have we really stepped back to evaluate our relationship with screens? Or consider the health effects of using a screen for so many hours a day?
Sore Muscles
When we’re constantly bending, hunching, or in an otherwise uncomfortable position to look at our screens, we put stress on the muscles of our neck, back, and shoulders that can lead to pain. The best way to avoid “tech neck” is to correct your posture, move for at least 3 minutes each hour, keep screens at eye level, and stretch often to relieve muscle tension.
Eye Strain and Damage
Staring at a screen, particularly when concentrating on something like a video game or writing a paper, can decrease the frequency at which we blink in half. This can lead to dry eyes and eye strain, as well as retina damage and blurred vision.
To prevent damage to your eyes, The American Optometric Association recommends the 20/20/20 rule; look away from your screen every 20 minutes and focus on an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
Other Associations
Due to the relative newness of screen integration in our lives, the research surrounding how screen time affects our health is relatively new. The following symptoms are associated with excessive screen time, although they cannot be directly proven to be caused by excessive screen time at the point of this writing: low HDL cholesterol, poor stress regulation, insulin resistance, obesity, high blood pressure, and poor sleep.
While screen time may or may not be causing these symptoms, they’re worth knowing about and monitoring in your own life. For example, if you notice you’re not sleeping well after spending a little extra time on your phone or computer, it may be worth spending less time on your phone or computer to see if your sleep changes.
Screens and Children
While it’s tough to state exactly what effects screens have on our health currently, the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics have created recommended guidelines for the amount of time kids should be spending with screens.
- Children under 18 months should have zero screen time.
- Children 18-24 months shouldn’t have any screen time unless it’s video chatting with friends and family.
- Children 2 – 5 should spend an hour or less looking at screens each day.
- As children get older, it is highly recommended parents and children negotiate limits and boundaries around screen usage.
While current research has trouble pointing to health effects directly caused by screen time, it’s worth evaluating the physical, mental, and emotional tolls your screens may be taking on you. If taking a “digital detox” is an option for you, it may be in your best interest to try it and see how you feel physically and mentally after spending several days away from screens. If a full digital detox isn’t an option for you, you may benefit from setting screen time limits on specific apps and websites, putting away electronics a couple of hours before bed, or not using your phone or computer until a certain point in your day. If you’re interested in finding ways to reduce your screen time, check out our blog 7 Ways to Reduce Screen Time
