As according to a study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, “8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes...to using entertainment media across a typical day”. Not only that, but most youths also report to having no rules governing the amount of time spent on entertainment media in the mediums of TV, videogames, and any computer use. Less than 50% actually have rules and regulations on what video games they are allowed to play and what TV shows they can watch. However, I believe that daily media use among children and teens needs to be controlled. If it is not, this could potentially lead to negative ramifications, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, obesity, internet addiction, and negative effects on the brain.
For a start, the carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by excessive and repetitive movements of the wrists and hands. Prolonged use of the mouse and keyboard can cause carpal tunnel as it is required to rapidly press buttons in order to complete the objective in many video games. Whether it be clicking the mouse or a certain button on a videogame controller, doing either for sustained amounts of time is deleterious to one’s health. A simple solution to this problem would be to merely control and limit the amount of time that children and teens would be allowed to use a device that would entail such excessive and repetitive movements.
Another consequence is obesity, which is the result of caloric imbalance (too few calories used compared to the amount of calories consumed). Overuse of computers and other electronics, such as mobile devices and tablets, can lead to obesity as the user is inactive for a prolonged period of time. In fact, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), in th...
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... hours less than those without rules. So sit down with your child and set up some rules and limits for his or her media consumption. After all, it’s always better safe than sorry.
Works Cited
http://kff.org/disparities-policy/press-release/daily-media-use-among-children-and-teens-up-dramatically-from-five-years-ago/
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
http://michaelhyatt.com/19-what-the-internet-is-doing-to-our-brains-podcast.html
http://www.ikeepsafe.org/be-a-pro/balance/too-much-time-online/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201402/gray-matters-too-much-screen-time-da
mages-the-brain
http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/sleep/basics/5-effects-of-sleep-deprivation.htm#page=1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/web-addicts-brain-chemistry-addiction-alcoholics-gamblers_n_1202480.html
The world is changing with the advancement of technology. People in our society, including teenagers, adults, and elders addicted to computers, television, cell phones, videogames, and cars. This addiction is making them sedentary. Going back in history, the human body is made for hunting, farming, and household work but the advancement of technology is making us sedentary. The sedentary lifestyle is leading increase in chronic health conditions and higher all-cause mortality. Human body is reacting to this change in nature, by being less immune to numerous chronic health conditions.
Television, or screen time, has become a large part of today's society. Whether it's by way of smart-phones, a television, a computer, or a tablet, screen time has negative effects on the cognitive ability of children and adolescents. It has even been proven that it can lead to Alzheimer's disease when a person, in the age range of 20-60 years old, views an hour more than the recommended amount of screen time a day (Sigman 14). In children, the amount of screen time viewed has a relationship with the likelihood of developing a deficit in his attention span; the longer a child views screen time, the more likely he is to be diagnosed with an attention disorder. Screen time, or television, can cause attention disorders and other problem with cognitive abilities in children and adolescents that effect the education they can comprehend.
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