Not now, Social Media ‘likes’: Phasing out heavy screen time
If reducing screen time is your New Year’s resolution, a Minnesota expert says it can be tough. But with increasing concerns about the effects of too much media consumption, learning how to limit access is the best place to start.
The overlap between what’s called doom-scrolling and the recent election might have prompted some people to re-evaluate their screen time.
And it isn’t just posts about politics that have the academic world worried.
Phasing out heavy screen time
University of Minnesota Duluth Communications Department Chair, Associate Professor Aaron Boyson, teaches about media addiction.
He said electronic devices, streaming platforms, and other digital tools are heavily woven into everyday life.
“I hear a lot from students, especially these days, about fatigue and overuse,” said Boyson, “and tiredness and frustration and irritability – and all those things.”
Boyson’s students are challenged to go a couple weeks media free. He reports a three-to-one ratio of positive effects over negative feelings, but says most go back to normal usage.
Boyson said for anyone, building shields – such as a room in your home free of devices and used only for non-screen activities – can help chip away at bad habits.
But he warned it can take several weeks for your brain to get used to it.
Boyson said one positive aspect of successfully detaching yourself from your smartphone prison is improved communication skills.
He added that if part of your plan is to take more walks, it’s best to leave the headphones and podcasts at home.
“It’s really, really important that there are non-mediated times where the mind just is free to think,” said Boyson. “That is what some cognitive psychologists call the ‘default mode network,’ when your brain isn’t being stimulated by some external source.”
He said for younger generations born into a tech-driven world, it’s much harder to experience life that way, which potentially affects their emotional development.
As for concerns from parents, research has shown their screen time usage is on par with their kids. Boyson said they’ll have to confront their own denial and join the whole family in curtailing access.
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