All Posts tagged technology usage

 

Technology usage is increasingly becoming a constant in our lives, as screen time is linked to our jobs and seen as a form of entertainment. However, it is important to stay educated on the negative effects constant interaction with electronic devices has and to take steps to decrease that time—both for adults and for children.

Adults

Though there is no rule on how many hours a day adults should be using screens, be that a laptop or computer, phone, tablet, or TV, we do know that adults spend an average of 11 hours a day in front of a screen—for professional and personal reasons. Negative effects of this include headaches and eye strain, as well as neck, back, and shoulder pain. Excessive use of laptops and computers also leads to tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Overall, it may contribute to a sedentary lifestyle and social media addiction, in addition to negatively affecting sleep patterns and possibly leading to insomnia.

In efforts to make our interactions with screens healthier, it is recommended that we be mindful of our posture when we are using them for prolonged periods of time. Additionally, a good idea is to learn some chair yoga poses to keep muscles loose, while taking stretching and standing breaks at least once every hour. To limit eye strain, we should look away from the screen, focusing on a distant object for about 20 seconds every 20 minutes. Eating in front of a screen is discouraged, and it is recommended we avoid use of a backlit screen for at least an hour before bed.

Children

Unlike adults, the screen time children are exposed to should be heavily regulated and very limited. Other than video chatting, children less than 18 months old should get no screen time at all. After that age, for children two to five years old should be limited to screen time of one hour a day and it should always be supervised for interaction and content. You can make use of regulatory apps that prevent children from accessing certain contents and may also lock the screen after a certain amount of time. It is important that children make use of electronic devices when supervised and that they are accessing virtual environments that include high-quality content and educational materials that prompt them to cognitively engage with the content on the screen.

Too much screen time for children, as well as poor quality screen time, has been linked to obesity, behavioral problems, loss of sleep or irregular sleep patterns, loss of social skills, and less time to play. Make sure you do not allow TVs or laptops in the children’s bedrooms, and you keep them away from screens at least an hour before bedtime. It is also a good idea to prioritize unplugged, unstructured play time and set rules and limits on when and where screens can be used. This is more likely to teach your children digital literacy and set boundaries between online and offline interactions.