By Matt Reilly
It is surely a struggle for many humans to maintain a healthy body weight, but what about their mind? Part of having a healthy mind revolves around how we use our body through-out the day. Researchers and professors have connected overuse of phones, televisions, and other media related screens mental-health issues and ultimately body weight.
We’ve all heard the saying “Everything is good in moderation” but is it relative to everything? It’s true that if you consume alcohol and french fries every weekend you are more susceptible to fatigue, weight-gain, and stomach related diseases. Though, if you consume oil-fried and carbonated drinks in moderation, it is less likely you will become sick or overweight. The same applies to screen time, whether it is phone use, television, or any screen that possesses “blue light.”
When exposed to an abundant amount of blue light through-out the day it disrupts your sleep schedule and as a result makes us tired, less social, and more irritable.
Is your son or daughter constantly on the phone? Watching TV in the living room or in the car? Have you noticed changes in their mood and diet? If so, researchers have gathered data that connected mental-illness with overuse of media that uses screens such as televisions and cell phones.
As kids become older, they are more conscious of their body image and how they are perceived. In the social-media era depression as a result of body shaming has risen a significant amount. 1 in 5 adults are depressed and overweight and its a direct result from their childhood.
Kids born after 1996 are the first generation to grow up with smartphones and are more likely to be depressed than people born in the 80s. This is something to look out for when disciplining your child.
