We've all heardwarnings about too much screen time for kids, but what about adults? With manyjobs requiring hours spent in front of a computer, and most of our free timespent streaming shows on television, scrolling social media on phones, andscanning stories on tablets, many of us spend consecutive hours looking atscreens, especially during the pandemic when most of our social interactionsare online. Are there negative effects of screen time for adults that we needto worry about, too?
We're taking acloser look at how much screen time for adults is healthy.
How much time do adults spend on screens?
A few yearsago, the average screen time for adults in the United States landed at 11hours per day. Since lockdown, this number has gone up to an astonishing 19hours per day on screens during the pandemic. Are you wondering where yourscreen time falls compared to the rest of the nation? If your phone, computeror tablets are set to send you weekly screen time reports, you may have an ideaof just how many hours you clock in with your eyes locked on a device. About 30percent of adults say that they're online "almostconstantly."
How much screen time is too much for adults?
There are clearguidelines on how much screen time kids should have, but howmuch screen time is healthy for adults? There is no magic number of hours forrecommended screen time for adults; however, there is clear evidence that toomuch screen time can be detrimental to your health. For instance, this studyfound that those spending six hours or more per day watching screens had ahigher risk for depression, and this studyfound that limiting social media use to 30 minutes per day lead to a"significant improvement in well-being." The type and quality of screen timealso play a role.
Negative Effects of Too Much Screen Time:
- Insomnia and Poor Sleep - Light fromscreens signals your brain to stay awake, and that constant input throughoutthe day can make it difficult to unwind at night. If you have persistent sleepissues, you may benefit from a sleep study at a sleepcenter.
- Eye Strain and Headaches - Too muchtime spent looking at screens can cause fatigue or discomfort in your eyes aswell as dimmed vision. Glare on screens and the brightness of the display canplace further strain on your eyes. Eventually, this strain can lead toheadaches.
- Addictive Behaviors - Social mediaand smartphones have been around for less than 20 years and the impacts theyhave on humans are still being discovered. Recent studies have uncovered that people can developaddictive behaviors with smartphones and social media, including thinking aboutthe device or platform constantly and craving using it, using their smartphoneor social media apps to cope or modify their mood, and experiencing symptoms ofwithdrawal when they are unable to access their phone or apps. If thesebehaviors progress to interfere with everyday life, it is cause for concern.
- Neck, Shoulder and Back Pain - Timespent sitting at desk typing or holding a phone and looking down, places strainon the neck, shoulders and back. When these positions are held for extendedamounts of time, it can lead to pain and sometimes more severe musculoskeletalissues.
- Changes in Cognition - We know thattoo much screen time is not good for children's developing brains, but whatimpacts does too much screen time have on adult brains? A 2020 study found that people who have been diagnosed withsmartphone addiction had problems with the part of their brain responsible fortransmitting messages and poorer cognitive performance.
- Reduced Physical Activity Levels -Time spent on screens is time that people in past generations would spend beingphysically active—taking walks, working in a garden, playing sports, working onprojects, etc. A sedentary lifestyle is directly linked to an increased risk ofobesity and other physical health problems.
What's a healthy amount of screen time for adults?
Experts say adults should limit screen time outside ofwork to less than two hours per day. Any time beyond that which you wouldtypically spend on screens should instead be spent participating in physicalactivity. This might not be feasible immediately, but there's still a lotpeople can do to try to reduce this down.
Tips for Reducing Screen Time
- Turn off notifications. Notifications aremessages from apps that appear on your screen to alert you of new activity.This triggers you to look at your phone and, more likely than not, spendadditional time on your phone beyond checking what the notification is.
- Set a timer. Use a timer on your phone,the microwave, or an old-fashioned egg timer when you are watching televisionor using a tablet. When the timer goes off, turn off the device and make aneffort to move your body—go for a walk, clean a room or try an at-homeworkout.
- Leave the phone out of the bedroom. Manypeople fall prey to scrolling their phone in bed at night or when they firstwake up in the morning. This interferes with your sleep and can significantlyadd to your daily screen time. Use an alarm clock to wake up each morning andleave your phone on a small table outside your bedroom door each night.
This post isnot intended to cover all health problems associated with screen time. If youhave concerns about screen time and consequences on your health, such as eyestrain, back issues or symptoms of depression, schedulean appointment with your doctor.
