We all love our electronic devices. We love how much time they save us and how much information they can provide us with, not to mention fun. However, many of us end up spending way too much time staring at screens than is really good for us, and it can negatively affect our physical and mental health.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some common warning signs that your screen time, or the screen time of your children, is out of control, and may need to be reigned in:
You’re having trouble with your eyes
If your eyes are starting to get blurry or they feel sore, then it is a clear sign that you might have been spending too much time glaring at a screen in the past few hours. There are many ways to improve your eye health, but it is much better to not let it get to the point where help is required in the first place. Turn off and let your eyes have a rest.
You’ve lost interest in everything else
A worrying sign that you may be addicted to screen time is when you start to lose interest in everything else from going for drinks with your friends to reading a great book to wind down in the evenings. If it always has to be endless scrolling of Instra or Twitter or Reddit, then chances are you have a problem, and putting the tech down and trying to engage in screen-free hobbies you used to love is probably a good idea.
You’re angry when you cannot use your devices
This is a really common symptom of too much screen time in kids, but it is also prevalent in many adults too. If you cannot look at your phone or scroll your tablet because you are in a work meeting or at school or whatever, and you find yourself getting angry, having tantrums or trying to take a sneaky peak, you know you have a problem on your hands, and you might have to get strict with yourself by prescribing screen-free periods at regular intervals to wean yourself off your reliance on screens.
Repetitive strain injuries
If you spend too much time scrolling on your phone or tablet, you may end up with repetitive strain injuries in your thumbs, wrists and neck due to the unnatural position you look at your phone in and the repeated motions you make. When it gets to the point you are injuring yourself, it’s fair to say you have a problem.
You’re only happy when using a screen
If you only feel good when you are getting likes on Twitter or spending your time reading the latest gossip on your favourite celebrity website, then it’s a sign you are too reliant on screens and you could be heading for addiction. Time to do something about it.
If you notice any of these screen time warning signs, then it might be a good idea to switch off and do something else for a while and make screen-free time a bigger thing in your life.
