Screens have become an everyday part of our lives. We use our electronic devices for things like social media, checking the weather, directions, pictures, and even more.
Excess amounts of screen time can damage both your physical and mental health, especially if you’ve been using screens throughout your entire life. According to a study cited on the medical website Forbes Health, using screens too much during your childhood could lower your cognitive skills later in life. This is because your functions early in life are easily affected by consuming too much content of screen time.
“If it’s affecting your activities in your life then that can have a negative effect on you,” explained School Psychologist Julia Blasey. “I sometimes hear about how students just go home and scroll for hours, play video games, and get on social media, so that really prevents you from being able to do more other things in life, right? Like getting involved in activities or hanging out with friends or connecting with people in real life.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), teenagers need at least 8.5-10 hours of sleep each night. However, according to Forbes Health, screens keep the brain thinking and can prevent teenagers from getting enough sleep. For example, staying up late scrolling on TikTok or any other type of social media platform really can limit how much sleep you get each night. Overall, this lowers your energy for the day and your ability to focus properly in school and in general.
“Even though that screen time is a good way to entertain yourself, like on a rainy day or on the weekend, you shouldn’t really focus too much on it during the weekdays,” suggested Ina D., a 7th grader at Longfellow.
Even though there’s some negatives about electronic devices overall, Newport Academy, a national Network of Clinical and Therapeutic Expertise explains the positives about screens. Screens aren’t entirely bad as they can be a great way to connect with your friends and family. It can also be great if you want to call or text friends or family that have moved away.
“I think that screen time allows people to talk to their friends outside of school, so they can build stronger connections with them and also use them to entertain themselves,” Ina said.
