Students share mixed feelings on dramatic increase in screen time
Photo courtesy of Robert (CC BY 2.0)
With the new online schedules, students adapt to an increase in screen time. Many students find themselves losing focus more quickly and getting more headaches as they go through the school day.
November 8, 2020
As the school adapts to a predominately remote-based learning schedule, one of the biggest concerns for students is the dramatic increase in screen time. Although not everyone realizes, this increase in screen time, in addition to out-of-school activity, could severely damage students’ vision in the future.
“This combination – more screen time and less outdoor time – may actually harm children’s vision and put them at higher risk of developing myopia, or nearsightedness,” an article from The Conversation said. “That can lead to serious eye problems in the future, including some potentially blinding diseases.”
West Essex students share their opinions on how screen time is affecting their everyday lives. The majority of students are losing focus more quickly during the day and are feeling more headaches as they continue to stare at the screen.
“I think that all the time I spend staring at a computer is making me really tired and it’s getting harder to focus.” – Taylor Sindle (Senior)
“I definitely think the increase in screen time is affecting me. It makes it extremely difficult to get in the correct mindset for each class and activity when you are sitting in front of the same screen in the same room all day. Everything blends together and makes the day very stressful and disorienting. However, I do see that I am getting more used to it day by day.” – Mike Aktas (Senior)
“Although we are on the screen a lot, I tend to not get headaches. Sometimes it is hard to pay attention and I get distracted easily.” – Shaila Spritzer (Junior)
“Since we are on the screen so much I sometimes get headaches and feel like sleeping a lot. Due to the increase in screen time, I’m nervous my vision is more likely to be damaged in the future.” – Nitya Vyas (Sophomore)
“The extended time on my computer and phone is making me get more headaches and lose focus faster during the day. I have gotten migraines for a while but because of the increase in screen time they have gotten significantly worse. It is also easy to lose focus, especially during a full day of online school.” – Lauren Krichman (Senior)
Photo credit: “IMG_4674” by Robert (flickr.com/photos/jemimus/5378288606)
