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
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Maggie Jackson’s other blog, “Does Self-Control come in an App?” Digital Natives don’t know any difference by going to Facebook or playing games on technology, but it could have a serious impact on them if they get addicted. Kaiser Family Foundation said, the average 8-18-year-old spends more than seven hours and 38 minutes on entertainment media on a typical day. Half of those people use media when doing homework. To help address this problem, we need to teach children to respect the integrity and set up rules for their media use.
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• Children over 2 years old: maximum of 1 to 2 hours of TV (and other media) per day
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