Introduction
Extended screen time refers to the non-controlled use or exposure to screens (Hawi and Rupert 337). In return, this provokes the straining of the eyes, which will cause vision problems. These issues can lead to vision syndrome when compounded with other side effects such as migraines and eye complications. Globally, most children spend about 3 to 4 hours on television, whereas adults spend a significant number of hours on phones and computers. It is even worrying that most people sleep late while extending their watch time into late nights. On the other hand, children end up watching more instead of focusing on their assignments and having healthy sleep durations. Screen time types include passive consumption, which includes watching television, reading using computers and phones, and watching and listening to music. Interactive consumption incorporates using screen devices to play video games, browsing online items, and gambling. Additionally, communication type of screen time includes video calling, mass conferencing, and social media use. Content creation type of screen time incorporates screen devices in modern art and music. The essay primarily focuses on the negative impacts extended screen time has on adults and children, arguing that the impacts are worrying and that more children and adults are getting addicted to video games and watching despite the consequences.
Extended Screen Time Impact on Children
The level of children’s addiction to screen time is alarming globally. A child’s total time on a digital device should be checked and regulated to minimize the side effects. Some everyday gadgets children find attractive include phones, television, and video games. In a typical family setup, one would find children addicted and glued to the television while watching cartoons and funny programs. The child may even stay hungry without notice due to the anxiety and excitement caused by television shows (Hawi and Rupert 337). If not reminded by the parents or guardians, the children may remain hungry and without sleep for extended periods, which is unhealthy. Therefore, parents should be responsible for ensuring their children do not spend too much time on television and other digital devices. Some other children are aggressive enough to understand the working of other complex devices such as smartphones and computers. Such a child may grow while dedicating much of their time to checking their parent’s phones and going through the computer features if they are available.
Screen time is a widespread topic among children considering the enormous number of gadgets that have screens. These include televisions, laptops, mobile phones, and cars (Hawi and Rupert 337). Controlling screen time is tricky as they are found everywhere. It is even more complex to control children from accessing screens, as most have assimilated fully into the technological world. In addition, most parents are keen to ensure their children are at the front wheel to understand the current technologies, which is considered a great deal. Children and young adults find screen games, including Car Race, FIFA, and others available on the internet, more fascinating, and one will find most of them infringed on their seats, playing them most of the day. Considering the length of effects too much screen time has on young adults and children (Hawi and Rupert 339), the affected parents need to impose effective plans that will help prevent them and their children from accessing non-controlled screen time. Adults must also plan how to balance their screen time with other activities.
More screen time means less time to associate with the environment and play. Early childhood development patterns depend on the environment in which a child is brought up (Hawi and Rupert 339). A child who does not find time to exercise or freely mingle in the free environment may be affected and grow up lacking natural mood enhancers. Also, nature helps reduce pressure, aggression, and stress and can help them focus later on, unlike the screen, which mostly pulls anxiety. Children need to exercise to strengthen their bones and body muscles that are rapidly growing. However, with higher screen times, they barely make efforts to exercise, and most end up developing conditions such as obesity and back problems due to overly relaxed muscles. Therefore, it is essential for children’s screen time to be minimized to create more space for their interaction with nature.
In addition, where nature calms and relaxes, too much screen time can create a feedback loop of depression (Seguin et al.). It means that the children find it hard to deal with the stresses within their environment, which may cause them to lash out more often. Many children find it exciting to look into the various social media platforms that feature the classic lives of multiple celebrities. Children whose families cannot meet such lifestyles find it stressful, attracting depression and contempt. Also, Sigman indicates in his study on “Time for a view on screen time” that too much screen time takes up much of a child’s time (Sigman). Many children are not attending class due to a shift in their mental focus. Some have recorded having to go to school with screen gadgets such as phones due to addiction, which gets them typically suspended or expelled from school once caught. Most parents, especially in modern society, find it hard to regulate their children from using screen time gadgets. It is a joy to some parents when they see their children with the ability to operate screen time devices.
The child’s moods swing according to the tones and attitudes of the programs the child is watching (Seguin). Other programs, such as war games and wrestling, have caused many children to grow more aggressive and arrogant. Some also learn to indulge in drug and substance abuse and develop bad romantic relationships due to the pornographic materials available online. Videos and video games have also taken much of the children’s time. It has significantly caused them to perform poorly in class as they dedicate most of their time to the videos. Most children from technologically advanced homes perform poorer than those from homes with no screens, as the latter is more focused on their studies with minimal distractions.
On the other hand, screen time has proved to be a win in many sectors globally. To begin with, it has enabled many school-going children to be exposed to and become more intelligent (Sigman). Some children use screen gadgets to learn classwork through professional apps like online thesaurus and math programs cast on television. In addition, children who had access to screens could continue their studies online as most institutions adopted online learning during the Nobel Coronavirus pandemic (Seguin). Those without access to these materials halted their studies during the pandemic until the situation returned to normalcy. In the past two decades, access to screen time has enhanced considerable advancement in the world of science and technology, and this has assisted the world in managing better various aspects such as security management, weather forecasting, disaster management, food security, as well as communication (Sandy). Therefore, the more children access and interact with these gadgets, the more informed they will become later in life, which will help move the world technologically higher.
It is undeniable that screen time has dramatically boosted the technological sector of the world in the past few years. However, uncontrolled screen time for children may not play a role in technological growth as most children only focus on visiting unimportant sites such as porn and video games (Seguin). In addition, to help improve technology, one has to learn in class and then incorporate the knowledge with substantiative research online. Still, screens have only proved to waste the children’s active learning time as they spend the whole time looking for funny materials to watch instead of learning (Sigman). Such children stay up late-night watching movies and then sleep in class during the day. It is important to note that the most outstanding scientists existed when the world was technologically incapacitated. These include Isaac Newton, who discovered the force of gravity, and Dr. Hooke, who discovered Hooke’s law. Contrary, very few discoveries have been made during the current technological times as considered the ancient times. It is because children and scholars in the current generation have become lazy and more dependent on technology instead of working hard and smart. Most students even copy examination answers from the internet without taking time to understand concepts, hence the rise in the number of quack professionals.
Screen time use for children has dramatically increased in the current world, and it is worrying that its use has brought more harm to children than benefits. Most of them have assimilated fully into the technological world, making it very difficult to control their access to and use of screens. Also, most parents are keen to ensure their children are at the front wheel to understand more about the current technologies, as it is considered a great deal. Early childhood development patterns depend on the environment in which a child is brought up and more time on the screen means less time to interact with nature and exercise. It will lead to adverse medical effects on the child, including incapacity to control their reasoning and weak bone structures. The children hence find it hard to deal with the stresses within their environment, which may cause them to lash out more often.
Some of the videos watched by children influence them with unhealthy themes such as sadness. The children grow up with the effects of those themes; their brains are still young and yet developing. It makes them adopt and practice any behavior they observe on the screens, good or bad. However, technologically, screen gadgets have helped improve the world, but children’s uncontrolled and unguided screens use will only harm them more than reasonable. Therefore, a child’s screen time must be monitored, and parental guidance should be ensured whenever the children watch inappropriate content. Otherwise, too much screen time is unsuitable for children.
Extended Screen Time Impact on Adults
Most adults find it necessary to use screen devices, while some are addicted to screen time. The existence of social media platforms in the daily life of an adult poses both positive and negative impacts. However, the adverse effects seem to weigh more due to extended screen time. The communication manners of an adult have been discovered as the most affected aspect due to extended screen time (Small et al.). For instance, one will find an adult hooked onto their phone during important meetings, church meetings, lectures, and even hanging out with family and friends. Very few adults mind how they use their phones and other digital devices when they are around other people. The uncontrolled use of phones and laptops among adults has encouraged several problems, some of which never even existed. For instance, back problems due to the extended body bending while leaning towards their phone. Most adults can stay glued to a phone for 3 hours without changing position. The body ends up getting tired, and the muscles stressed up. Therefore, adults are advised to keep changing positions when using their phones and staying upright and comfortable to avoid being impaired.
Screen time, in most cases, is viewed as a leisure activity for adults who stay at home. The sedentary lifestyle among adults has been identified as a contributing factor to depression (Madhav et al.). Many people do not know how much screen time affects their health. Adults who spend more than six hours in front of a television or computer screen have been associated with high risks of depression. Pregnant females in the United States have been identified as at risk of being depressed. It is due to the time they spend watching (Madhav et al.). Technology advancements have pushed many adults to the constant use of social media. The constant checking of notifications from various media sites has also contributed to screen time addiction. According to research, using the phone has promoted depression among adults (Nakshine et al.). This is through the growth of jealousy, envy, and comparison among individuals to those on the internet.
Increased suicidal trends among adults have also risen due to the constant use of electronic devices. The night hours for some people are the best moments to browse the internet. Researchers state that nighttime screen use disrupts one’s sleeping pattern (Nakshine et al.). Lack of sleep further promotes suicidal thoughts and depression among adults. Dependency on smartphones and prolonged fear of not receiving replies to messages, especially before bedtime, has been associated with suicidal thoughts and self-denial. Internet addiction has been identified as another factor promoting screen addiction among adults. Extensive hours of screen time have promoted attention lapses among young adults. Heavy media multitasking is shown to have increased mental wondering among adults. The mental instability that causes attention disruption has been associated with the development of Attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
All screen time is not equal, and adults who passively use screen time end up incurring mental problems unknowingly. Video games, as an example of passive screen time use, has shown to improve one’s memory and the ability to multitask. Regardless of the games’ advantages, it also has negative impacts (Von der Heiden et al.). Loss of self-control and high craving levels of wanting to play are among the negative impacts of the addiction created through video games. The dependency on video games has resulted in the creation of negative personalities among adults. An example of these personalities is low self-esteem and low self-efficacy. Video games have also promoted anxiety and aggression among adults. It is due mainly to the fear of losing a game or damaging their gaming devices (Von der Heiden et al.). Many adults may not be aware of the impacts gaming has on their mental health, so they should learn to limit the time spent on gaming.
Adults have adopted social media to communicate, promoting many mental problems. Anxiety has risen due to the restlessness people experience when they cannot access network sites (Bashir & Bhat). The inability to receive or access messages on media sites has also contributed to anxiety among young adults. The phantom vibration syndrome has developed among many adults due to anxiety (Bashir and Bhat). This is due to constantly checking their cell phones for notifications and updates. Stress is another mental problem that has affected people due to social media addiction. The likes and comments about people’s pictures and ideas have promoted stress. Loneliness has also contributed to the negative impacts of social media among adults. This is because many adults communicate virtually but do not get an opportunity to create physical, social networks. Twitting and commenting do not motivate overall mental well-being (Bashir & Bhat).
Digitization has been associated with using computers and electronic devices at work. These devices have promoted various mental problems and considerably impact people’s brains (Small et al.). Constant use of computers and other devices has resulted in substantial cognitive impacts among adults. Older adults have suffered from cognitive decline due to the use of technology. Technology has promoted addiction with the use of the internet. Computer use and extensive screen time have reduced attention stability among many adults (Small et al.). The internet has promoted problems with Attention, especially in the workplace. Adults cannot concentrate on tasks for long without checking media notifications. Technological addiction has also increased among adults due to consistent checks on media sites for updates. Some media sites have promoted negative impacts among adults. Gambling sites, for example, have promoted anxiety and suicides, as many adults lose their property while gambling (Small et al.). The wait for results as one gambles promotes the development of anxieties and aggression. Adults addicted to internet use experience more attention problems, hyperactivity, and impulsivity than non-internet users.
On the other hand, it is undeniable that digitization and screen time have improved living standards. The knowledge gained through the screens and information gathered from the internet has made the education system easier and promoted integration. Even so, the time spent by children and adults on screen devices is exceptionally worrying. Due to this reason, today’s generation is referred to as the media generation. However, the extended use of screen devices can be used controllably with proper discipline for children and adults. For instance, children should not be allowed to operate phones at a very young age. The main aim is to avoid exposing small children to gadgets that can easily corrupt their minds and overturn their manners. Children who grow up while using phones find it addictive to visit social media sites, some of which corrupt their minds. Nevertheless, the same children are more exposed to and informed about what is happening worldwide.
Also, after watching social media, children may tend to practice the same things at home, which often puts them in problems. For instance, a child who has watched wrestling may want to use the technics learned to play with friends, which may end with one of the friends getting hurt. Some commonly visited sites by the youths include pornographic sites that significantly degrade the adult’s moral life. Also, an adult should have guiding principles that depict the time one is supposed to use their phone and when to aside. Every gadget should be used for its correct purpose. For example, the use of phones as the Bible in the church is not church may not be the best idea for an average youth since pop-up messages may end up distracting one from the service. Also, the government, through various institutions, should come up with workshops and campaigns to teach adults and children through parents how to properly manage their screen time.
Conclusion
Extended screen time refers to the uncontrolled use of screen devices without considering their impacts on human health. Several negative impacts are associated with extended screen time for children and adults. For children, some negative impacts include poor health due to lack of sleep, eye problems, less time to exercise or freely mingle in the free environment and friends, and depression and anxiety issues due to less exposure time. In terms of academics, most children from technologically advanced homes perform poorer than those from homes with no screens due to a lack of enough time to study. On the other hand, screen time has significantly affected adults with eye problems, wastage of productive time, and poor mental health due to the introverted lifestyle. Most adults have created a tendency to depend too much on their cell phones to the extent of being unable to reason without consulting their gadgets. Lack of sleep further promotes suicidal thoughts and depression among adults. Extended screen time is a destructive and addictive behavior that has threatened the general well-being of adults and young children.
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