Increased screen time can lead to mental illness
Today we are affected more than ever by our mobile use with an average screen time of 4 hours per day. We have a digital lifestyle that increases mental illness, stress-related illnesses and sleep problems.
Our digital lifestyle and our need to be constantly connected to our mobile phones has increased drastically in recent years. The mobile phone accompanies us wherever we go and affects our mood and our way of living negatively. The constant stress of always being connected affects our mental health, physical health and our social life. Our mobile phone use also makes us feel worse physically because we move less and sleep less. This can lead to mental illness and stress-related illnesses.
It has also become more difficult for us to focus on everyday tasks such as work, study or just having a conversation with a family member or friend. This is due to our constant need to reach for the mobile phone, which makes it difficult to concentrate on one thing. Mobile phones give us a new kind of stress that our brain is not used to. We are not used to jumping between different activities and still being concentrated and staying focused. This can affect our social life and relationships negatively when we stop hanging out and talking to each other for real. Our constant stress of being connected and updating on social media also means that we do not enjoy the moment. We would rather take photos and film a dinner with friends to be able to post on social media than enjoy the moment together.
Although the problems were already big before, it has gotten worse during the corona pandemic, especially among children and young people. Studies show that during the pandemic, more children have developed a risky screen addiction. Children who already had problematic mobile phone use have now developed this into an addiction. This is mainly due to the fact that routines have changed, you spend less time with your family and more with your mobile phone and you move less.
In order to feel better and counteract the problems that mobile phones create, it is important to reflect on their mobile phone use. The mobiles help us a lot and make life easier in many ways, so it is not about removing the mobiles completely from everyday life. The important thing is to use the mobile phones and our time in the right way.
Sources:
https://kurera.se/digital-halsa/2020/07/02/okad-skarmtid-under-pandemin/
https://www.lifebutiken.se/halsa/inspiration/vila-mental-traning/sa-paverkas-du-av-skarmtiden
