Whether you have kids or you are focusing in on the amount of time that you commonly spend on a smartphone or tablet device, it can be important to know how much time you should really be spending on your devices. In this article were going to explore how much time really is too much screen time. Read below to find out how much time you should ideally be spending on your devices:
Around a third of teenagers are spending at least two hours every day on a computer, television or smart phone. Nearly 10% are spending more than five hours of screen time daily. The amount of time that we spend on screens has gone up significantly over the past few years as well. Over the past decade the amount of time that people are looking at screens has gone up by an impressive 2.5 hours per day.
There aren’t number of correlations between the idea of screen time and unhealthy behavior. As we are constantly bombarded by unhealthy ads it’s estimated that many kids consume roughly 167 additional calories over the recommended amount based off of every hour of television that they watch each day. Children that get more than the median value of two hours of screen time per day are 52% more likely to be overweight.
What’s even more shocking is how screen time relates to stress as well. Four hours of time on a screen each day actually means that it will take us 20 min. longer to fall asleep. The affect of blue lights from screens can actually have a similar change in our brain chemistry is when we are exposed to caffeine. This can mean spending time on your smart phone before you go to bed or even watching TV can ultimately result in you having a restless early part of your sleep cycle.
When we consider all of the negative effects of too much screen time, there is no very easy answer on the total amount of screen time that anyone should be getting. What is important to keep in mind is that when you push beyond averages, you can add additional risks to your health and well-being. Limiting screen time when you can will often be a healthier choice.
