Braving the Hot Mess
Check out Braving the Hot Mess on Facebook
  • Blog
  • My Story
  • Documentaries and Videos Worth Your Time
  • Books I Love
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Meditations
  • Affirmations
  • Tracy's Upcoming Events
  • Contact
  • Testimonials

Step Away From The Screen

9/24/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
How much time do you spend each day behind some type of screen? A computer, cell phone, iPad, TV any type of screen. Be honest now between work, school and personal time how many hours each day do we spend on these devices? 

Research is bringing forth some dramatic numbers. On average, 8-18 year olds spend between 7.5 to 11.5 hours per day on technology and 3 hours of this time using social media. 
The average adult spends 11 hours each day in front of the screen.

These devices, some of which are toted to create connection, are actually the source of social disconnection. 
Technology makes adults and teens profoundly anti-social. 
Our happiness and longevity are on the decline. Disease and loneliness are increasing.

Screen time is a likely cause of the ongoing increase in teen depression, anxiety and suicide. Numbers significantly changed around 2012 when smartphones and tablets became widespread among teenagers. ​And teens who spend more time on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy. After a little less than an hour a day of time spent on a smartphone, their well-being begins to decrease. These statistic also mirror adult figures as well.

When we are young we don’t always use good judgment because we’ve yet to form good judgment. The prefrontal cortex is where we house problem solving, decision making and impulse control and it’s not fully developed until you are in your 20s. As a teenager and into the 20s, they are inherently lacking these critical skills and yet perpetually using devices that ask them to respond immediately, react immediately, make decisions immediately, to click, like, tag and post. They/we are not asked to stop and critically think.

Research is also showing that we are 40% less empathetic than we were 30 years ago. Exercising empathy fosters connection, if we don’t, we become disconnected and ultimately foster loneliness.

We learn empathy through vulnerable situations and experiences. On social media we are masking our vulnerability. Social media portrays one-side of our life, and it's the side that we want people to see, not our real side, not our vulnerable side. We can't empathize with one another when we aren't being authentic and vulnerable.

The common thread among all ages is that more screen time means less time for activities that are good for our health and well-being. The most important question to ask yourself is...What is screen time replacing? A lot of us are giving up sleep, communicating with each other as a family, social connection, exploring the world, exercising, hobbies, etc. Remember we are all disciplined to something, what are we disciplined to?

This fall season, let's intentionally chose to decrease our personal screen time and replace it with actively engaging in life through social connection, nature and experiences that nurture and fill up our spirits with goodness. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Archive 

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Picture

      Please sign up to receive weekly new blog posts. 

    Submit
Proudly powered by Weebly