Parents have well-founded concerns about how much time their children spend on technology. It’s not just children we need to be concerned about though. Adults are susceptible to harmful affects as well. Studies are showing that children and adults are spending on average 4-7 hours per day on technology. Some people admit that they are addicted to their smartphones. In my opinion these concerns are very valid. Maybe even more valid than we can imagine. A recent study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors suggests that constant smartphone usage physically effects your brain the same way drug addiction does. Now that’s scary!
The study was conducted by researchers at Heidelberg University in Germany. They found that regions in the brain known as ‘grey matter’ showed changes in size and shape for people with social media addiction. Other studies have shown similar grey matter changes in people with drug addictions.
What does this mean for our health? Grey matter areas in the brain control a person’s emotions, speech, sight, hearing, memory and self-control. Have you ever felt that your child or significant other has trouble with self-control, listening, or memory? Haha. I think we all do.
Aside from grey matter changes, overuse of ‘screen time’ tends to go hand-in-hand with a sedentary lifestyle, causing: obesity, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and high cholesterol. Furthermore, the blue light from screens can hinder our ability to fall asleep, and lack of sleep may further contribute to obesity and many other health problems.
Now that we know how harmful overuse of technology actually is; what should we do? Set rules for the amount of screen time that you and your family spend on technology. The American Heart Association recommends 1 hour of technology per day for children under the age of 5, and 2 hours per day for children from 5- 18 years of age. Take it seriously and continue to reinforce your rules. Encourage physical activity and homework before ‘screen time’. These principles should apply to adults as well.
Companies like Apple and Android provide features that help users manage their screen time, while other apps like Moment and Freedom help smartphone junkies block access to certain apps and websites. Some apps, like TikTok, have a feature that lets parents set how much time their kids can spend on the app in a day.
Get educated and take action! Your health, and your family’s health depends on it.
Gratefully serving,
Dr. Rob
*Structural and Functional Correlates of Smartphone Addiction, Journal Addictive Behaviors
Volume 105, June 2020