The Dangers Of Too Much Screen Time

*This is a collaborative post on the dangers of too much screen time

Do you spend most of your day looking at a screen? Too much screen time could be having a negative impact on your health. Outside of work (where there is often no escape from screens), it is recommended that we limit our daily average screen time to two hours. However, many of us exceed this, with the average person spending five hours per day looking at screens (including phones, tablets and TVs) outside of working hours. 

Just what is so harmful about too much screen time? This post lists a few different dangers, as well as a few tips on how to reduce your daily screen time. 

Too much screen time can cause insomnia

Staring at bright screens before you go to bed could potentially make it harder to get to sleep. This is because the bright light from the screen tricks our brain into thinking that it’s still daytime. This can stop us from producing the sleep hormone known as melatonin, which our body naturally produces at night. Taking a break from screens an hour before going to bed is recommended to get better sleep quality. 

Eye strain

Too much time spent staring at screens can also strain our eyes. In fact, if you’ve been waking up with dry eyes, it could be because you’ve been spending too much time in front of screens. This dryness is due to the fact that we blink less when looking at a bright screen. Some people also find that their eyes become sore and that their vision becomes fuzzy after staring at a screen for long periods (particularly at night). 

Too much screen time can cause obesity

Sitting or laying down all day looking at a screen can also increase your chance of gaining weight. Those who spend more time in front of screens are typically less physically active. Many of us also munch on snacks while watching TV or gaming. This results in us consuming lots of calories without ever burning them off, leading to obesity.  

Back/neck pain

Many of us also don’t adopt the healthiest posture when looking at a screen. This is particularly the case with phones, which we tend to crane our necks to look down at. The unhealthy postures can result in repetitive strain injuries to our neck and back. What may start as a mild ache could eventually turn into a permanent strain injury for those who don’t improve their posture. 

Too much screen time can cause depression

Too much screen time is also heavily linked to depression. When you’re interacting with a screen more regularly than you are with the real world, it becomes easy to feel as if your life is empty. Getting away from screens and interacting with real people and nature is so much better for our mental health. That isn’t to say that there isn’t healthy and helpful content out there behind a screen – however this alone cannot keep us mentally sane. 

How to reduce your screen time

Reducing screen time is not easy, particularly as the world is becoming increasingly digital. Everything from getting a job to dating now involves looking at a screen. Making a conscious effort to reduce screen time is often necessary. Below are 8 tips on how to reduce screen time:

1. Turn off all devices an hour before bed. Use this time to take a hot bath or read a book instead (not an e-book).
2. Adopt the 20/20/20 rule to stop your eyes getting tired when looking at a computer screen or TV. This involves taking a 20 second break from screens every 20 minutes and focusing on something 20ft away.
3. Enforce screen-free periods of the day to encourage conversation with friends and family. This could include not allowing any screens while eating dinner. 
4. Keep track of your weekly screen time and challenge yourself to do better the next week
5. Take up hobbies that don’t involve looking at screens constantly. This could include learning a musical instrument, making craft creations, baking or doing something physically active outdoors (such as hiking, cycling or playing football). 
6. Challenge yourself to have a screen-free day! Beyond answering phone calls and texts, try to avoid any other screen activities. 
7. Set yourself limits before playing video games or watching TV series. Tell yourself you’re only going to play 6 rounds or watch 2 episodes and stick to this. 
8. When setting screen time limits for kids, make sure that you are setting a good example. You can’t reasonably expect a child to only be allowed to watch TV or play video games for 2 hours if you’re constantly on your phone the whole evening.