In today’s digital age, screen time has become an integral part of daily life for many people. However, while screens offer numerous benefits, excessive usage may harm physical and mental health and social well-being. Excessive screen exposure has been associated with more risk of gaining weight and getting disorders of falling asleep. This fact can be connected to the disruptive effect of blue light on the process of melatonin production, which, in many ways, defines the body is functioning in sleep-and-wake activities. Again, staying at the screen for more extended periods is connected with higher levels of stress and anxiety, as well as reduced levels of attention, especially for the younger users who spend most of their lives in the digital high environment. The phenomenon impairs the development of social skills while affecting the mental health of the individuals. Extreme utilization of the screen mostly takes the place of face-to-face exchange, which affects the ability to think and reflect on the nonverbal behaviors of others, show empathy, and build meaningful relationships offline. This paper argues that while screen time offers undeniable benefits, maintaining a balanced approach to screen time is crucial for preserving overall well-being and promoting healthy lifestyles in the digital era.
Firstly, exposure to excessive screen time may result in various physical issues, including obesity and sleeping disorders. According to Silvani et al., this effect is mainly associated with the blue light effect often emitted by screens, suppressing melatonin secretion. One of the functions of the hormone is to regulate the circadian rhythm, which consequently influences sleep. Consequently, individuals may find falling asleep and achieving restorative sleep challenging, leading to chronic sleep deprivation.This disturbance of sleeping patterns influences much more than just cognitive functions or energy levels. However, it is also linked with many health problems, from cardiovascular troubles to immune function impairment. Moreover, increased screen time is associated with sedentary activities, which increases the chances of a person developing obesity and suffering from other related health conditions. Excessive exposure to screens often results in inadequate sleep, long sitting or lying duration, physical inactivity, and poor dietary habits due to the detrimental impact of excessive advertisements on screens, influencing chances of developing obesity(Nakshine et al.). Moreover, this lack of physical activity undermines individual’s efforts to manage their weight. However, it raises the propensity towards diseases related to obesity, like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Hence, while screen time is often associated with multiple benefits, recognizing the negative impacts of its excessive use is crucial for maintaining physical health and well-being.
In addition, excessive time on screen is often associated with multiple mental health effects. According to Alutaybi et al., excessive use of screens may often result in instances of anxiety, stress, and loneliness. In the growing realm of technology, most day-to-day activities are performed online, resulting in increased time spent on social media, news feeds, and online content., in turn, results in a culture of comparison, inadequacy, and fear of missing out (FOMO), exacerbating feelings of stress and anxiety. Additionally, individuals, especially adolescents, tend to spend too much on screen, leaving little or no time to spend with families and friends. As a result, this contributes to poor or bad relationships with parents and friends, resulting in feelings of loneliness and isolation that negatively affect their mental well-being. Furthermore, excessive exposure to screens may expose one to instances of cyberbullying due to an individual’s physical appearance, which may, in turn, result in feelings of depression and even suicidal thoughts that are most common among the young population. Moreover, excessive screen time may negatively impact individuals’ cognitive abilities, especially the younger population, resulting in an incline in their attention(Muppalla et al.). The constant stimuli and velocity of communicating information require high processing of that information in terms of how users engage with digital interfaces, which can, in essence, potentially disrupt attention, lower cognition, and, in turn, impact academic performance. Thus, while screens offer connectivity and entertainment, their overuse can significantly compromise mental health, contributing to a myriad of stress-related symptoms and cognitive challenges.
Moreover, the use of screens has made people communicate easily, thus resulting in reduced face-to-face conversing, which affects, in turn, the development of one’s social skills. With more digital devices, people are now getting used to increasing virtual interactions and communications, leading to reduced face-to-face interaction and interpersonal communication skills. For one’s chances of spending more time on screen, gadgets like phones and laptops may be bad for learning how to read non-verbal cues, empathize, and be able to keep meaningful relationships offline(Ruben et al.). For instance, the non-verbal cues that indicate pitch and tone will not be expressly identified through text messages, and these might further be misread in regard to the actual meaning behind the message, as the recipients will not instantly sense the emotional subtleties coming out through the vocal inflections or facial expressions. As interpersonal skills diminish due to excessive screen time, individuals may become increasingly isolated and lonely, compounding the negative impact on mental well-being and social cohesion. Virtually all forms of communication nowadays are digitalized, leaving little or no space for direct face-to-face contact, which also bolsters the development of wholesome interaction. Additionally, erosion of social skills could result in problems going through social situations, thereby making an individual withdraw and lose the ability to establish real connections with the world. Ultimately, as much as the screens offer convenience and an opportunity to get in touch, the overuse of screens poses one of the greatest threats to fundamental human interactions because it involves dysfunctional interaction and antisocial and disruptive behaviors.
In conclusion, the use of screens has innumerable benefits that are very important. However, it is necessary to highlight some of the possible adverse effects it may have on people’s health and mental well-being. This research paper has examined some potential effects of excessive exposure to screens on individuals, including their physical, mental, and social skills. For example, excessive exposure to screens has been shown to negatively impact one’s physical well-being by resulting in an increased risk of obesity and sleep disorders. In addition, the impact of the screening on the mental well-being of individuals has been shown to result in instances of poor relationships, feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and isolation, leading to increased risk of stress and suicidal thoughts. Exposure to too much on-screen has also resulted in decreased face-to-face interactions, resulting in decreased non-verbal cues and feelings of empathy, especially among adolescents. Such impacts compromise the general well-being of individuals and seriously compromise the very fabric compacting social cohesiveness and human interaction. Thus, measures need to be developed to help regulate the use of screens when participating in day-to-day activities. Even though screens assist in connectivity among individuals and entertainment, there is a need for a balanced approach to the exact needs of screens and health to be achieved with regard to screens.
Works Cited
Alutaybi, Aarif, et al. “Combating Fear of Missing out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 17, 23 Aug. 2020, p. 6128, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7504117/, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176128.
Muppalla, Sudheer Kumar, et al. “Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management.” Cureus, vol. 15, no. 6, 18 June 2023, www.cureus.com/articles/162175-effects-of-excessive-screen-time-on-child-development-an-updated-review-and-strategies-for-management#, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.40608.
Nakshine, Vaishnavi S., et al. “Increased Screen Time as a Cause of Declining Physical, Psychological Health, and Sleep Patterns: A Literary Review.” Cureus, vol. 14, no. 10, 8 Oct. 2022, www.cureus.com/articles/112862-increased-screen-time-as-a-cause-of-declining-physical-psychological-health-and-sleep-patterns-a-literary-review, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.30051.
Ruben, Mollie A., et al. “Is Technology Enhancing or Hindering Interpersonal Communication? A Framework and Preliminary Results to Examine the Relationship between Technology Use and Nonverbal Decoding Skill.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, no. 1, 15 Jan. 2021, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.611670/full, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.611670.
Silvani, Marcia Ines, et al. “The Influence of Blue Light on Sleep, Performance and Well-being in Young Adults: A Systematic Review.” Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 13, no. 943108, 16 Aug. 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.943108.
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