Screen time is the amount of time we spend on any device with a screen like a mobile, TV, or laptop. Experts say that less than 2 hours of screen time outside work is the ideal screen time.

The pandemic has made us more addicted to our devices increasing our screen time. Don’t get me wrong I do appreciate technology. Our economies wouldn’t be functioning in the pandemic if it weren’t for technology. Most of our work became virtual and so did our lives.

Now, we know what the ideal time for our screen is but, it is hard for us to stick to that. Our screens provide us with endless entertainment whether it is binge-watching a series, playing a game on console, or scrolling through social media.

But, what we fail to recognize is how much it affects our lives. Let’s begin with health problems.

Many people have trouble having a good night’s sleep and we all know how important that is for our body. When we can’t sleep we tend to go on our screens.

Did you know that is the reason why we can’t fall asleep?

Digital screens emit blue light which interferes with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin in our body making it harder for us to sleep at night. People who tend to have a high screen time also usually suffer from headaches and eye strains. It also affects our posture.

Let’s move on to how it affects our mental health.

We use technology as a source of entertainment, but we forget where to put a stop to it, and that’s when the problem arises. We slowly fall into this cycle of using technology excessively and, forget that we have a life outside it. Human beings are curious by nature. We learn new things and want to change from time to time. So, we start to feel anxious and depressed when all we do is stare at our screens all day. Excessive screen time also means less time to do other activities like interacting with people which further leads to low social skills.

Yes, sitting at home and using our screen is the easy thing to do. We get entertained and it is in our comfort zone. We don’t have to meet people and do physical activities. But, just because it feels right doesn’t mean it is good for us.

We think that we are just passing time by using our devices. But what we don’t realize is that we are wasting our time doing things we won’t even remember in the future. Are you going to remember the memes you have liked, or the people that you stalk, or the number of games that you have won on your console?

No right? So why are we doing it?

 Let’s go down memory lane. Think of your favorite memories. Does any of the memories involve you using your screen? I don’t think so.

So, let’s all start doing things that we will remember in the future. Let’s talk to people around us. So many times we come across situations where we are surrounded by our loved ones but all we do is stare at our screens.

 We all know that “time is precious”. So why is our screen time more than what it should be?