More parents are becoming concerned over their children’s rise in screen-time.
It’s noticeable as a whole that more of the younger generation are active on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, all renowned to have seductive algorithms - flooding users’ feeds with more content generated to be suited to their particular interests.
With platforms such as these, the repetitive notion of swiping up, being such a simple gesture, has ultimately captured millions of young people - as they spend endless hours scrolling.
But just how damaging are the effects from these apps?
Excessive screen-time usage can lead to negative outcomes such as a decline in concentration.
In young children especially, growing up with a short-term focus could affect brain development, and could lead to behavioral issues like short-temperedness.
As the child’s brain develops, being subjected to such bursts of stimuli may delay language-acquisition, and this could result in poor social and communicative skills.
In teenage years, the rise of social media usage has left negative impacts on some young people’s mental health.
The scrolling culture, essentially trapping the brain in a state where it’s constantly receiving information at a rapid rate, has meant more teenagers are spending time on a screen, than in real life - forming real connections and having face-to-face conversations with people.
The effect from this, includes a rise in anxiety, and where scientists have discovered that there’s a 13% more likely chance of young people developing depression.
From social media platforms in particular, where people present themselves and their lives in the form of ‘highlight reels’, it’s easy for users to slip into comparison; the idea of F.O.M.O (Fear Of Missing Out) amongst teens specifically, can be seen to spark negative emotions towards themselves and others - as the fear of missing out on the content they’re consuming, stimulates the desire to continue scrolling, as to not miss out on anything else.
Obsession over our screens can be damaging in the long-term - should there be continued patterns of checking these apps, this could lead to the concept of ‘over-checking’: teenagers subject to this especially, due to the massive online culture of staying updated and in touch with their peers, which scientists explain to be a development where a person reflexly checks apps even if they haven’t received a notification from it - out of habit.
The negative consequences from being consumed by the online world are highly detrimental and it’s important that we are aware of the impacts social media and platforms alike have on our mental and physical health.
Another area affected from an increase in screen-time is our eyesight.
Sitting closely at a screen for hours a day can reduce our impairment significantly.
Some studies have suggested that the blue light from screens can damage retinal cells and therefore lead to an increased need for children and young people to wear glasses.
To help tackle this, it’s been agreed that reducing time spent on phones, tablets and television is most beneficial and there are even measures being put in place, like settings on smartphones, to reduce the level of blue light - which is the root of the cause.
