By Hayden St. Mary
In this era, it’s increasingly hard to escape technology. It’s becoming a major part of our everyday lives as nearly everything goes digital. However, all this development might not be as beneficial as it seems when consumed so frequently. Are we relying too much on these innovations, potentially sacrificing personal connections, mental health, and problem-solving? As the world continues into this digital age, we need to reflect on technology’s impact on our lives and the problems it may be causing.
Technology can be useful in so many ways. It has made communication easier, provides quicker access to information, increases productivity, and has made many advancements in healthcare and provided environmental benefits. But while it can help us in a variety of ways, it interferes with living a healthy life. Most people think of being healthy as eating a big salad or going for a jog. It also involves us using our brains for complex thinking, and maintaining good mental health; both of which can be negatively impacted by an overuse of technology.
Humans are meant to be social creatures, but with the surge in technology reliance, we are slowly losing face-to-face communication skills. Overreliance on technology reduces real-life interactions, which can leave a person feeling lonely and isolated. Texting becomes the easier alternative, which may result in staying home more often. Relying on online interactions can make face-to-face communication feel awkward and uncomfortable. This can lead to people being more inactive, by providing ease in living a sedentary lifestyle as nearly everything is accessible at our fingertips.
Excessive screen time can also be the root cause of mental health issues. Teens are constantly exposed to social media, where they see idealized images of people who seem healthier or more successful, and people they perceive as better looking. Social media promotes unrealistic beauty standards and lifestyles, leading to feelings of inferiority. Parents can experience similar pressure, comparing their parenting to unrealistic portrayals online, leading them to feel that their parenting is wrong or inadequate. There is also the issue of cyberbullying, where some people will go further than they ever would in real life because they are behind a screen instead of face-to-face. Another issue is some people become so obsessed with the dopamine associated with likes and comments, that they feel depressed when their posts don’t perform as well as before, or as well as others. Social media’s fast-paced algorithm can lead to doomscrolling, keeping users hooked for hours where they just sit there. This is especially an issue when it’s right before bed, leading people to get inadequate sleep. Not only does tech lead to cognitive impairment through the lack of sleep, but also because of how fast-paced everything is. Consuming so much so fast can cause issues with the ability to retain knowledge long-term, make it harder to concentrate, and cause anxiety due to constant notifications and updates.
As a student, I feel so drained after school, because I spend the whole day just staring at a screen. At wellness checkups, doctors ask how much time we spend on screens, and as a student, it ends up being around 5-6 hours just from school. While sometimes computers provide fun or easy ways to do work, it numbs my brain and strains my eyes. While many other students feel this way, those who don’t highlight another issue with tech in school, which is distractions. Kids play games on computers and will sneak on their phones. Since phones are such a distraction, schools are talking about banning phones. This can become a problem for students who need to communicate with family, like if they’re running late from work.
While technology does have its benefits, people shouldn’t rely on it so much if they want to live a healthy lifestyle. It’s impossible to escape it completely, but you can strive to limit it. To avoid mindlessly clicking into social media apps, try making them harder to access by changing where they are on your screen, setting time limits, or installing apps like One Second. Also, it’s important to keep a positive mindset when scrolling, remembering that not everything you see is real, and you don’t need to change anything about yourself for others.
Hayden St. Mary is a Spring Grove High School student, one of 15 area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 26th year.
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