On average, teenagers spend seven and a half hours on screens on a daily basis. Most doctors recommend two hours max for teenagers when it comes to screen time on a daily basis, so we are obviously way over our limits. Screen time is so common for teens nowadays, that it is totally normal to ignore face-to-face interactions and responsibilities. Most enjoy the benefits of technology in our modern society, such as increase in educational opportunities and endless entertainment, but what are the dangers and why do we tend to ignore them?

When teens or people of any age get too much screen time, there are some terrible side effects they are ignoring. Increase in screen time correlates with increases in loneliness. Although it may seem at first sight like social media and phones in general can provide more social interaction and less loneliness, it is quite the opposite. Interacting with people on a screen is nowhere near the same as having a face-to-face interaction. It makes our brains unconsciously aware of the fact that we do not actually have someone physically present with us. This can lead to anxiety and depression in many cases, and causes people – especially teens – to feel like they are alone in this world with their phone as their only companion.

Materialism is also a major issue that comes with overuse of screens in our everyday life. Teens nowadays are constantly bombarded with celebrities and social media influencers who flaunt their wealth and extravagant lifestyles. After a while of constantly seeing how others are extravagantly living, teens’ brains begin to process it as totally normal to have the most expensive cars, a mansion, and living in the overly expensive city of Los Angeles or New York. This can be dangerous because it can also, and commonly does, lead to depression or anxiety and sometimes even insecurities and self-deprecating thoughts. 

Lucky for our generation, there are plenty of solutions for this far too common problem. Cutting down screen time may be easier than generally thought. Some practical tips for cutting down on screen time are to be accountable, realistic and creating phone-free zones. Being accountable can be as easy as letting your family or friends know that you are trying to cut down on screen time and that they should remind you if they see that you are spending too much time on your phone or computer. Being realistic will look like setting smaller goals that are actually attainable with your specific lifestyle. Most people trying to cut down on screen time, usually try to cut down directly to two hours, which causes a huge change in lifestyle and usually causes failure in attaining that goal. A better way to go about cutting down on screen time could be to cut your current screen time in half and slowly go down from there, so you are not so drastically shocked with such a huge change. And lastly, by creating phone-free zones or blocks of time throughout the day, you can ensure more physical activity and more mental interactions. Some common examples include no technology at meal times, none directly before bedtime, during class time and during homework.