How to Combat the Negative Effects of Screen Time

On average, an American adult spends 11 hours a day looking at some kind of screen — a tablet, mobile phone, computer, or TV. While that seems like an eye-opening statistic, it doesn’t take into consideration the shifting school and work environments caused by COVID-19. Since varying levels of stay-at-home orders took effect, millions of people have been stuck inside. Whether it’s for work, education, or recreation, they’re working from their computers, taking part in online classes, and spending their free time playing online games and watching TV shows.

As a result, screen time rates have risen dramatically, and people are starting to feel the effects of too much exposure to digital screens. Luckily, there are steps you can take to mitigate the negative impacts of this increase in digital exposure.

Negative Effects of Screen Time

The effects of too much screen time vary from physical to psychological:

• Dry eyes
• Headaches
• Blurred vision
• Sleep disruption
• Reduced productivity

One of the primary causes for these issues is thought to be blue light. Natural sunlight and the light that comes from your digital screens are composed of all colors of light, including blue. However, blue light contains higher levels of energy than the other colors, and it’s thought that the heightened energy levels, combined with prolonged exposure to digital screens, are the cause of many of the problems that users experience.

Reducing Blue Light Exposure

Reducing exposure to blue light is simple and cheap. One option is to wear blue light filtering glasses, which can reduce the amount of blue light that enters your eyes.

If you don’t want to wear glasses, most digital devices can be adjusted to emit less blue light automatically or on a certain schedule. Look for settings on your device called “night light” or similar. Some users don’t like the screen’s yellow tint once blue light reduction is enabled, but you can gain some level of protection by scheduling the blue light filtering to take effect when the sun is down, mimicking the natural light cycles of day and night.

Take Breaks

One of the reasons for eye fatigue, dryness, and headache is that you’re staring at a screen for hours at a time. Your eyes don’t adjust to different brightnesses or viewing distances, so they become tired.

Try the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, stop and look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Better yet, go outside for a quick walk or even walk around the building you’re in. Looking around (not to mention a break from work) will do you good!

No Screens in Bed

We all know the routine: We wrap up the Netflix show we’re watching, brush our teeth, go to bed, and pull out our phones to browse the Internet for a little while longer before we go to sleep. Not only are you staying up longer before nodding off, but the bright light can also have a  negative effect on your quality of sleep. This habit results in fatigue, stress, headaches, and other potential problems the next morning.

Simply put, you’re asking your brain to transition too quickly. Your subconscious mind adapts to your surroundings — when you get in bed and turn the lights off, your brain knows that it’s time to sleep. But if you’re staring at a screen, you become overstimulated and can’t switch to “sleep mode” quickly.

The best solution is to simply keep your phone out of the bedroom entirely. If you can, avoid using your laptop or watching TV from bed, too. Charge your phone in another room at night, using an old-fashioned alarm clock to wake you up instead. It’s also recommended you don’t use your phone or watch TV right before bed. Instead, take a short walk, wash dishes, listen to or read a book (on an e-reader or paper, not a phone or tablet), or do some other screenless activity before bed. 

Digital Wellness Matters

For many of us, screen time is unavoidable. The world is increasingly digital, and many of our jobs, classes, and recreational activities will continue to be on digital devices. And while it may be difficult to avoid screens completely, with the right cautionary steps, regular breaks, and good sleep, the consequences of excessive screen time should be significantly reduced.