The impact screen time has and how to combat it

Screen time is on the rise and people are beginning to feel the negative impact of spending too much time online.

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Tech plays a significant role in modern life and while it offers numerous benefits, many of us are spending increasing amounts of time on our digital devices. Screen time has been on the rise over current years, yet too much time spent scrolling online can have a negative effect - from affecting social skills and disrupting sleep to developing ‘tech neck’.

Although not recognised through the NHS yet, Dr Catherine Carney, a psychiatrist and addiction expert from Delamere rehab clinic, says that tech addiction has become a more common issue over the years.

But what are the effects of high screen time and dependence on social media?

COGNITIVE ISSUES

"If you're sitting on your phone instead of being outside, in the gym, meeting with a friend, it can reduce access to socialisation and actually cause cognitive problems," says Carney.

Research funded by the National Institutes of Health found that children who use screens for seven hours or more a day are showing signs that their brain cortex is thinning prematurely.