Submitted by Betty Dean
Is it time to dial down how much time we spend with our smartphones? Constant media usage has plunged our attention span from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8 seconds in 2013. The attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. Many children and youth are “awash” in media, spending more time with multiple units than any other activity besides sleeping. One millennial stated it this way: “I may be watching a game on TV, following another game using Twitter, texting friends on my phone, and doing one-click shopping on my tablet—all at the same time. I take in a lot of information, but it just doesn’t sink in.”
Adults and teens alike are losing sleep from following social media, answering emails, and texting at night. The blue light emanating from these electronic devices has a dark side. Nighttime exposure throws the body’s circadian rhythms and sleep out of whack. Some research links overexposure to diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and even some cancers.
What are the long-term effects of so much media? Watching television and surfing the Internet do not actively challenge the brain. Neuroscientist Jeffrey Victoroff states: “Here’s where we come to the crucial point about mental stimulation and the brain: passive experience does little for the adult brain. To keep the brain learning and growing, we need to generate active responses to cognitive challenges.” Examples would include learning a musical instrument, reading mentally challenging material, or learning a new craft or skill.
Whatever time we spend with TV and video games is time NOT spent doing something else that may be more beneficial, such as outdoor recreation, reading, hobbies, or caring for a pet. This has an impact on learning, socialization, and health. Children and adults who spend the most time with media are less likely to get exercise and more likely to consume unhealthful snack foods and drinks.
The wise use of media can educate, cultivate connections, and provide harmless entertainment. But uncontrolled media exposure is addicting. Every experience has to be highly entertaining and every problem quickly solved. The instant gratification of “likes” and LOLs cannot replace the social skills required for real relationships or job, school, and life satisfaction. These take time, perseverance, discipline, and focus.
Media communication alters how people interact—teens in the same room may text instead of talk to each other face-to-face. Texting instead of talking excludes facial expressions, tone, body language, and the nuances and empathy that text cannot display. The concern is that vital learning and social skills needed to ward off depression and stress are sacrificed at the expense of speedy information processing.
We can learn to cope with life, enjoy normal daily routines, achieve new successes, and develop meaningful social ties. This is not accomplished via satellite and cyberspace, but by engaging in active learning and relationships.
(www.LifestyleMatters.com Used by permission. Courtesy of LifeSpring – Resources for Hope and Healing, Stuart, VA.)
