Spending too much time on screen affects the brain and results in slower processing speed, shorter attention span, and memory deterioration.
Everyone today is glued to their gadgets, be it working professionals or school going children. This also means that the thin line between work and family has become blurry with gadgets interfering while spending time with family. Thus, a study is being conducted to understand how mental peace and concentration are being affected due to increased screen time, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to previous researches, students addicted to their phones are interrupted by notifications on phones while studying.
It has been found by a recent study that once children reach three months of age, about 40% of children are exposed to watching television and this number increases to 90% by 24 months of age. A U.S. research found that children between the ages of 8-18 spend an average of seven hours and 11 minutes a day on on-screen entertainment. Ofcom Research shows that on an average, adults in the U.K. check their mobile phones every 12 minutes. The lockdown in many countries due to COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increasing number of social media addicts, as there is a need of constantly checking news. This has led to increased stress levels, anxiety, and insomnia. Increase in screen time results in headaches, migraines, strain on eyes, and disrupted sleep. It can also lead to increased levels of violence and behavioural problems.
One can get away from the screen by taking a break one day every week or by avoiding using phone at all times. Therefore, it is important to be away from the screen, as the research shows that exceeding two hours of recreational screen time affects the brain.