The Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Children and Young Adolescents

Through our mass consumption of media and infotainment, we have been inundated with smart technology. These devices control when it is time to wake up and when we should fall asleep. They dictate how many hours a day we should stand, and track how many steps we take. Most importantly our everyday tech controls how effectively we accomplish our day-to-day tasks. The purpose of my research is to shed light on the real effects of screen time. As a nineteen-year-old college student, I always find myself distracted by technology while completing assignments or studying. I have not been diagnosed with ADHD, yet my phone always seems to need attention when I am trying to be productive. With that said, if I am affected, how might those younger than me be fair against this issue? In my research, I found that excessive amounts of screen time (more than one or two hours per day) have been shown to negatively affect children and young adolescents. We know for certain that excessive screen time can play a role in a child’s obesity, irregular sleep, behavioral problems, impaired academic performance, violence, and outdoor play. (Christensen 1). However, my findings have shown that there is no direct correlation between excessive screen time and ADHD