Screen Time Effects

Although adults who didn’t have cell phones and computers when they were growing up think that all of this “screen time” is bad for children it really is not, “screen time” is actually good for kids, phones and computers help the human population communicate faster and more efficiently, the average social media user has more close ties, and the opportunities outweigh the so called “distractions”.

Most children today have access to devices such as television, smartphones, computers, and tablets. These devices can be used in a variety of ways, with both positive and negative outcomes. For example, preschool aged children may use a device to learn letters, numbers, or colors. School aged children may use a computer to conduct research, or watch an educational show. A child may also sit in front of the television for many hours, reducing physical activity, and become obese. I believe it is important for the parent or caregiver of the child to monitor the amount of screen time, as well as the content to optimize the benefits these devices can offer.

Technology has been part of our daily live more frequently than before. Screen time has been more popularly used on kids and adolescents. On a daily bases many kids seem to spend more time inside on their tablets, instead of having to spend time with other kids. This is a problem that is becoming more popular over the years,on whether kids need to spend that much time on technology or not. Parents either seem to have strict technology usage, or they either don’t. There has always been a huge controversy with experts, who either think that screen time is beneficial or could cause problems later on in life. There are many views towards this topic, from hurting kids brains, to helping them during school, and socially.

Next I'd like to talk about the physical activity going on during screen time. The issue is that there is no physical movement required. This is bad because if you're spending seven hours a day in front of a screen you're not recieving any exercise. Too much screen time has been linked to childhood obesity, and childhood diabetes. This is because there is no exercise involved with playing on a tablet or sitting in front of a couch. The child eats throughout the day and never burns off any calories resulting in obesity.

There have been a multitude of studies in recent years on the subject of screen time and the effects it can have on children of all ages. Previously, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that children from 0-2 years of age not be exposed to any screen time at all (American Academy of Pediatrics, [AAP], 2016). This included television, video games, smart phones, tablets, movies and computers. The AAP has recently changed its recommendation, though, stating that “Some media can have educational value for children starting at around 18 months of age, but it 's critically important that this be high-quality programming, such as the content offered by Sesame Workshop and PBS.” (AAP, 2016). The recommendation for children ages 2-5 is still the same, at one hour of high quality programming a day, and for children age 6 and older, to use consistent limits on the

With a flip of a switch or press of a button, Parents can have their child entertained for hours on end. Televisions and Tablets are the twenty-first century babysitters. The average child spends an astounding 7.5 hours per day on some form of technology (Rowan 2), when the recommend allotted amount of time should be no more than two hours (Kaneshiro 1). Technology is rapidly evolving, making limitless possibilities available for entertainment. This virtual “babysitter” enables the parents to devote all their time and effort into their work or engross in technology with limited amounts of distraction from the children. Although, the parents are able to have free time, excessive amounts of screen time is proven to be detrimental to their child’s health and overall well-being. The technology that is drastically making life easier is a big blessing, but at the same time is a big curse.

When it comes to children spending time infront of screens such as tv's, tablets, I pads, cell phones and video games it can be a difficult argument for parents. Parents can widely dissagree on their perspectives. Making this a difficult topic for them to come to solution on.

According to the article “Technology and Health “ from the Global issues in context website, researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden have found out that “technology is interrupting our sleep” among other things. The light that is emitted from televisions cellphones and other types of similar devices makes our brains think that it is still day time and thus interrupts our sleep schedules.It typically only affects sleep schedules if it is used in the later part of the night but heavy use during the day could also effect this.Also in the long term, this could lead to anixiey and depressin but according to the “Technlogy and Health” article this is only in etreme cases involving “heavy screen technology users” .This relates to students many of which now have online classes and assignments that require them to be in front of a computer for an extended period of time and with many using things such as their smart phones outside of school the risk of “screen addiction” is not to far out for some. There are also other physical problems that have to deal with the ergonomics of using technology such as posture, head position, position of legs and feet and other things that are the responsibility of the individual. Ergonomics is simply just fitting the work space to the worker and is and it all seems very simple but many people unconsciously make mistakes when it comes to this. In technology classes the teachers are required to go over the basics of ergonomics but there are vast amount of people who haven’t been properly taught the basic principles of ergonomics and that could be potentially harmful to their body in the future. The good thing is that all the physical aspects are preventable given you take a few simple precautions and also the mental problems

A management student listens to a lecture, fingers intermittently punching keys in his laptop — not to take down notes for tomorrow’s exam, but to check Twitter for the day’s trending topics. A boy and a girl lie comfortably on a sofa watching American Idol with their heads bent — not towards each other, but towards their iPhone screens. Three friends meet up in the library for a study session, silently turning the pages of their AP Calculus textbooks — not to study integrals, but just to have something to do while waiting for pings and beeps from their smart phones. A family of four hurriedly eats their dinner — not to catch the primetime soap and watch it together,

Technology can have a large impact on users' mental and physical health. Being overly connected can cause mental and emotional issues such as distraction, self-absorption, expectation of instant satisfaction, and even depression. Beside affecting users' mental health, use of technology can also have negative consequences on physical health causing vision problems, hearing loss, and neck strain. Even sitting too much has its own dangers. Yes, it may sound ridiculous, but sitting too much involves its own risks, including obesity, diabetes, heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and even cancer.

Too much screen time can cause increased obesity, increased aggression, sleeping problems and potential mental health problems. The only way we’ll get enough sleep is if we make ourselves to put our phone up. Most teens stay at risk because we’re afraid that if we put our phone down or turn the television off, we’ll miss something important. It’s not necessarily hard for myself to put my phone down at night because I be so tired from school throughout the week, I can just close my eyes and fall

Technology and "screen time" is a factor in today's world. Adults, teens, and children are all using computers, video games, television, and phones. While the argument of "screen time" causing children to be inactive and obese is made, others tend to think that it is a matter of what is on the screen and not the time spent in front of one that affects everyone.

How is technology affecting our children’s health? Technology has done amazing things in the medical world with the technology we have in the world today, millions of lives have been saved. Medicine has come a long way, but that is not the kind of technology we are talking about. We are talking about televisions, Ipad’s and computers. How are they affecting our children’s health? Technology and laziness are the two main causes for childhood obesity, which is a major problem for children today. Prolonged exposer to a television, computer, or phone screen can cause damage to our eyes. The eye damage could result in a child needing glasses or eye surgery, if the damage is severe. Klorer, P. Gussie Is an art therapist and she shares her opinion on how technology is effecting our children’s mental health, “Children today

Overuse of electronic devices causes impairment in a child's social skills and leads them to becoming isolated from the world. A child who excessively uses electronics becomes isolated and fails to develop normal communication skills, such as conversational skills, listening and even making eye contact. We isolate ourselves by walking around in our own little world, listening to our iPods or staring at the screen of the latest mobile device even when we

Technology can lead to long periods of staring at an electronic screen. Children who spend more time online, playing video games, or watching television tend to be far more obese than a child who plays outside during free time. Children who spend more time playing on electronics inside also tend to eat more snacks throughout the day than a child who is playing outside. Excess fat being consumed without exercise can lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart problems. Less exposure to face-to-face interactions can lead to emotional problems and bullying in children.