Is Screen Time the New Smoking?

“John, have you been smoking?!”

My 7th-grade math teacher’s tone expressed disappointment and the look on her face was one of horror. She’d smelled the cigarette smoke on my clothes.

“No! My dad smoked in the car on the way to school this morning. I don’t smoke but my parents are addicted!”

It was the truth. They were.

While I never became a chain-smoker like my parents, I did inherit their addictive personalities. I admit it, I am addicted to screens.

When you think of addictions, your mind probably goes straight to the classics – smoking, drinking, drugs. But could one of the most common addictions be right there in the palm of your hand?

Since the launch of smartphones, tablets, and other devices, we’ve become increasingly reliant on the technology they provide. We’re constantly connected to the world around us, but that can mean we get so engrossed in our devices that we miss what’s happening outside.

Screen time is fast becoming known as the new smoking, with lasting effects that could negatively impact our lives. It’s time to take a closer look at screen time addiction and the impact it could be having on your health.

What is screen time?

Screen time refers to time spent using screen-based devices. This can include phones, tablets, portable gaming devices, and others.

As a result of the pandemic, the average screen time has increased up to 17 hours a day. Phones and other devices even measure your screen time to tell you what your average use is, and the results can be eye-opening.

How can it impact your health?

Too much screen time can have all kinds of effects on your mental and physical health. Some of the negative effects of increased screen time include:

Headaches and eye strain.
Poor sleep habits due to the light displayed by your screen.
Becoming too reliant on an app or feature to make you feel good, and possibly experiencing withdrawal when you can’t access it.
A recent study found that people with smartphone addiction showed poor cognitive performance.
Back, neck, and shoulder pain due to being hunched over or looking down for long periods of time.

Why is it being compared to smoking?

With increased screen time, you might be thinking, “What’s the problem? Everyone else is doing it?” Well, that’s what they said about smoking too. It wasn’t until decades later that people began to realize the dangers of smoking, which then led to efforts to promote its negative effects.

Screen time and smartphone addiction share many similarities with smoking. They cause distraction, make people antisocial, cost money, and the earlier you start, the worse it could be.

While screen time isn’t as directly harmful to health as smoking is, treating screen addiction in the same way as we do smoking could lead to significant improvements.

Second-hand screen time really is a thing.

It’s not just adults who are impacted by screen time. Kids are vulnerable to the effects of second-hand screen time, wherein they’re influenced by their parents and others around them. They begin to see this behavior as normal, and even with curbs and restrictions placed on them, they could eventually end up displaying the same behavior as their parents.

Use the smoking approach to cut down on screen time.

If screen time addiction can be compared to smoking, could efforts made to curb smoking also be applied to cutting down on screen time? Some ideas include:

Discourage the need to always feel connected. Recognizing that this is an unhealthy or undesirable behavior could help combat the norm where people feel like they have to be connected at all times, especially when it comes to work and personal relationships.
Realize that too much screen time could heighten work stress. When you’re stressed and need a break from work, don’t go straight to your phone to check your social media. Use screen time in a more beneficial way, such as guided breathing or meditation, and help your body and mind.
Be considerate of other people by staying off devices during dinner time and during other social events as much as possible. This can help you be more present instead of checking your phone constantly.

Finding ways to limit screen time could lead to improved focus and being more present in the moment. Time spent on devices could be dedicated to physical activity, or other areas that may have been lacking recently.

Our devices provide us with a lot of benefits, but relying on them too much can begin to affect our health in a lot of ways. Cutting down on screen time for the sake of our health can help us avoid some of the issues that they pose, while also helping children to see that there are other interests and activities out there.

Screen time at the office can be mitigated.

If you’re like many who work in an office setting, you spend a lot of your time in front of your computer, tablet, or mobile device. Studies have shown that spending too much time in front of any of these can contribute to weight gain, depression, high blood pressure, and migraines.

It might not always seem easy to just take a break during lunch or after work to get some physical activity in, especially in the winter. So I reached out to Hannes Bend, an expert in mindful technologies and founder of breathing.ai, whose mission is to create healthier screen time to reduce stress at work.

Here’s what he shared with me about how to reduce stress at work without being able to take long breaks away from our screens during our workdays, “Checking in on our posture and seeing if we hold any tension is a first step. We often hold stress by tensing up, and a simple shoulder relaxation and sitting more upright literally opens up our airways. Then I recommend taking a deep breath in, ideally expanding the belly. It’s called belly or diaphragmatic breathing and enables much more oxygen flowing into our lungs. Then a sigh as a ‘letting go’ exhale. Studies have shown such deep inhales and sighing exhales double the amount of air energizing us. And also taking a few breaths with closed eyes to give them a break from screens. These things often go unnoticed, but being more aware of our posture and breathing can help us a lot. Our team helps bring that awareness into the technologies we use and adapt them to the users’ wellbeing.”

If you’re concerned about the impact your screen time is having on your health, look for ways to cut back or speak to your doctor or other professional about what you’re feeling. If screen time is the new smoking, take steps to beat it now, instead of contributing to a wider problem that can be difficult to shake.

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