Too Much Screentime: A Lifestyle That Kills You Slowly

 By Salihu Amina Aspita U17MM1122

Whether the whole family sits around staring at their smartphones or you keep the TV on in the background, too much screen time can be harmful. Here are a few ways your health may be negatively affected by spending too much time in front of a screen.

• A National Institutes of Health study found that children who spent more than two hours a day on electronic devices scored lower on thinking and language tests. Those with more than seven hours of screen time experienced thinning of the brain’s cortex, which is related to critical thinking and reasoning.
• The light emitted from electronic devices interferes with the brain’s sleep cycle and can prevent getting a good night’s sleep leading to the weakening of your immune system.
•  Too much screen time can lead to poor posture, causing chronic neck, shoulder and back pain.
• -All the time spent in front of screens can negatively affect your mental and emotional wellbeing causing anxiety and depression .
•  Too much screentime also causes migraines
  
  

Tips to reduce screen time

• Reduce scrolling through your phone or watching TV when you have a spare minute .
• Set aside time to unplug from yor gadgets it gives you the chance to spend quality time with your family and friends.
•  There are tools you can use to filter or block unwanted content. You can even set daily screen time limits that can lock you out of apps after they have reached a set amount of time.
• Get involved in activities that don’t require a screen ,like playing basketball,football , reading a book or playing a board game.