Technology provides multiple advantages including expense and bill tracking along with reminder settings and easier international communication.
When we use technology excessively it becomes detrimental to our daily lives. Here are some of the major drawbacks associated with its overuse:
1. It’s addictive
Health experts including parents and doctors warn that excessive use of YouTube videos games and social media platforms presents health risks for children. Numerous children show signs of addiction to the devices they use.
The risk of screen addiction parallels that of substance abuse because both conditions present similar dangers. Research shows that compulsive internet use changes brain structures similarly to drug use.
The task of reducing screen time to nothing is difficult but methods exist that can help reduce usage. Limiting screen time usage can be achieved by muting notifications together with turning off device sounds and finding new activities to take regular breaks from devices.
2. It’s a distraction
When students use phones or other technology during class they risk missing important learning material. Personal devices lead students to access online material during exams which leads to cheating and lowers their academic success.
Because the typical attention span has gotten shorter we need to minimize distractions and maintain focus on our current tasks. Technology creates additional challenges since resuming tasks takes people approximately 23 minutes after an interruption occurs. To overcome these interruptions you can enable Do Not Disturb mode or use timers.
4. It’s bad for your mental health
Modern technology offers numerous advantages for society but carries risks to mental health through device addiction and excessive device dependency.
Social media users frequently experience FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) which creates feelings of having missed important events. When users see social media posts about events they weren’t invited to they experience loneliness and anxiety which causes them to post about themselves online too much and not enough about real-life others.
You can prevent back pain and posture problems including “text neck” if you reduce your device use by participating in activities that do not involve screens.
5. It’s bad for your eyes
Bright lights from technology produce multiple eye problems such as eyestrain along with dry eyes, vision blurring and impaired focusing abilities. Extended screen time often causes digital eye strain which leads to headaches and fatigue along with itchy watery eyes while reduced blinking can progress into dry eye syndrome.
Using electronic devices before sleep can postpone melatonin production and alter your biological clock which may cause sleep disorders such as insomnia.