While many embrace technology, as its use becomes widespread, what is less obvious than the benefits of technological advancements are the harmful effects of technology distractions. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that some teenagers with high screen time use, using technology such as video gaming, social media, video shorts, and messaging systems, develop anxiety and depression.
If you find yourself constantly wasting hours on social media, regularly “doom scrolling” through video shorts, and checking for messages every few minutes, you may be suffering from Internet Addiction Disorder. Consider these areas of concern that will help raise your awareness about technology’s impact on your health.
Here are five common categories of problems caused by technology use:
- Mental Health Issues
- Sleep Disturbance
- Reducing Cognitive (Thinking) Skills
- Physical Problems
- Anti-Social Behavior
Let’s examine each category and consider examples of the negative effects.
Mental Health Issues
Constant mobile phone notifications keep your mental status on alert as if something is wrong, even when the “alerts” have no true urgency. If you overuse technology, you may experience a reduced attention span accompanied by mental fatigue and burnout.
You may find it difficult to concentrate, especially if a task requires deep thinking. Instead of exercising your brain and improving your mental function, you may actually be dumbing yourself down by technology use.
Spending too much time staring at a screen and never taking a time out to give your mind a rest, may result in mood swings that cause irritability.
Sleep Disturbance
The light from a screen, when it is blue light, blocks the production of melatonin (a brain chemical that is needed to get a restful sleep). Viewing a screen at night, tricks your brain to feel like it is daytime making it harder to go to sleep.
Stimulating your mind with another brain chemical called a “dopamine hit” that comes from scrolling through video shorts, can cause fragmented sleep patterns.
Reducing Cognitive Skills
Having strong cognitive skills means you are able to think clearly and deeply. Your brain is like a muscle, and it needs to be used to improve. If you allow the technology to do all the thinking for you, such as using an AI chatbot to write your paper for school, your brain function will degrade.
Physical Problems
Excessive screen time may cause immediate physical problems such as tired eyes, blurred vision, and tension headaches from eye strain. Other common problems are back pain, neck pain and bad posture, which may lead to pinched nerves and herniated disk problems.
Time spent on a screen is time you could spend doing some more healthier physical activity. Becoming a “couch potato” makes you at higher risk of developing morbid obesity and a heart condition.
Another physical problem is “distracted driving,” a dangerous situation that can cause traffic accidents when a driver is using a mobile phone.
Anti-Social Behavior
One promoted benefit of social media use in the early years was that it would increase social connections, when actually it may lead to social isolation and reinforcement of negative behaviors.
One example of this anti-social behavior taken to an extreme is when some people develop what they feel is a serious relationship with an AI chatbot. They may have an emotional attachment to the AI that prevents them from having any healthier relations with other human beings.
Using Technology Appropriately
Using technology provides many conveniences throughout our days, but being irresponsible with technology can cause harm to yourself and others. In a recent survey, nearly 90% of respondents admitted to using their phone while driving a car, placing themselves and others in danger. Technology is pervasive in all of our lives; however, it does not have to have such prominent place in our lives that it causes health issues. Knowing about the potential issues is the first step towards dealing with them. It is wise to regularly take a break from technology and use it responsibly to avoid these problems.