How Badly Are Screens Affecting Teens?

Many studies have identified how addicted teens are to electronics.

“The excessive amount of screen time teenagers use each day is becoming a concern for their health. From obesity to vision and sleeping problems, overuse of screens are all connected to the cause of these health issues.” 

Walking through the school gates on the first day of school, when I noticed a young 6th grader slumping drowsily towards their classroom. The kid’s eyes are half-closed, and he seemed like on the verge of falling asleep. As I watched, I heard a loud BANG: he crashed into a nearby pole. What I didn’t notice was that this kid, like many others, was just another “smombie”—a smartphone zombie—who fell into the trap of obsessive screen time.

In this digital world we live in today, screens are part of everyday life. From phones, to TVs, we are surrounded by an astounding amount of addicting digital resources. Though there are many ways screens can benefit our lives, this excessive amount of screen time everyday is starting to negatively impact teenagers. These obsessive devices are affecting our physical health, by causing problems like obesity, vision, and disruptive sleeping patterns.

Many studies have identified how addicted teens are to electronics. My Kids Vision, an organization that offers resources for families with teens experiencing eye problems, especially from screens, discovered in a recent report that “teenagers spend an average of 8 hours 39 minutes per day on screens.” This may seem like a small problem at first, but if we take into consideration that there are 24 hours a day, 8 hours on average are spent on sleep, and around 6 hours are spent at school, that only leaves around 10 hours a day for after school activities. During the 8 and a half out of 10 after school hours used on screens, “over 85% of participants reporting at least one eating occasion a day during screen use, and about a third of participants (30.4% children and 31.6% adolescents) reporting 3-4 eating occasions using screens,” (National Library of Medicine). With only around 1 and a half hours a day left for off screen time and exercise, becoming obese and having an unhealthy body is beginning to be more and more common.

In addition, Reid Health, a determined organization to improve the well-being of communities, states that “Too much time spent looking at screens can cause fatigue or discomfort in your eyes as well as dimmed vision. Glare on screens and the brightness of the display can place further strain on your eyes.” This discomfort in our eyes and “Uncorrected vision problems may also develop learning difficulties.

They may struggle to keep up with their peers, fall behind in their studies, and even begin to lose interest in education,” (Clarendon Vision Development Center). Just from screens, teens who lose interest in education may have long term consequences by falling behind, which could easily negatively affect their future life in college and trying to find a job.

Finally, screen time often negatively impacts the quality of sleep. A website that helps with sleep, Calm, states that “Electronic screens, especially smartphones and computers, emit blue light. This kind of light can upset your body's production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. So, while catching up on a TV show or reading an ebook might feel relaxing, the blue light exposure might make it tougher to drift off afterward.” Getting a good night’s sleep is highly important to our body because it helps have a healthier heart, develops our brain, and relieves stress. As teenagers, all of these traits are crucial to have a successful day and life at school.

The excessive amount of screen time teenagers use each day is becoming a concern for their health. From obesity to vision and sleeping problems, overuse of screens are all connected to the cause of these health issues. 

I know it’s difficult to limit screen time because teens use them and love them, but we can take small steps through simple actions, such as setting exercising goals or limiting screen time. Though the hardships of keeping a healthy body may seem overwhelming, the outcome of the hard work will definitely be worth it.

Let’s limit our screen times more, for a healthier overall body, and to avoid mindlessly crashing into poles and making fools of ourselves on the first day of school.

Works Cited

“How Much Screen Time Is Too Much for Adults?” Reid Health, www.reidhealth.org/blog/screen-time-for-adults#:~:text=Negative%20Effects%20of%20Too%20Much%20Screen%20Time%3A&text=Eye%20Strain%20and%20Headaches%20%2D%20Too.

Mosunic, Chris. “Does Screen Time before Bed Actually Affect Your Sleep?” Calm Blog, 5 Oct. 2023, www.calm.com/blog/screen-time-before-bed#:~:text=Electronic%20screens%2C%20especially%20smartphones%20and.

Muppalla, Sudheer Kumar, et al. “Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management.” Cureus, vol. 15, no. 6, 18 June 2023. PubMed Central, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10353947/, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.40608.

“Screen Time in Teenagers: How Can We Manage It?” My Kids Vision, 2022, www.mykidsvision.org/knowledge-centre/screen-time-in-teenagers-how-can-we-manage-it#:~:text=Screen%20time%20is%20a%20necessary.

“Vision and Learning: How Eyesight Affects Academic Success.” Clarendon Vision, 2024, www.clarendonvision.com/our-blog/vision-and-learning-how-eyesight-affects-academic-success.html#:~:text=Children%20with%20uncorrected%20vision%20problems.