Balancing your Physical and
Digital Planes through a Screen

By Shahbaz Ahmed
shahbaz.zipfile555@gmail.com

Graphics by: Aquib Rezwan
aquibrezwan0@gmail.com

Pretty much sure you’re reading this article through a screen, no? Well, you aren’t at fault, and neither are we as we write this. We don’t really have a choice as almost all our digital output devices require having a display. Almost all of us have our phones or pc or office computers, and it's really hard to find someone who isn’t exposed to such screens these days. With the massive innovations & spread of technology, more and more people are getting access to the internet and devices that require using it. You need a display to work with something on the internet.

Screen time is basically, the amount of time you’re spending using a device with a screen such as a smartphone, pc, tv, etc. You might have heard about Liquid Crystal Displays. No? It’s also known as LCDs- and I am pretty much sure that you know about these. Before the advent of such display, there was Cathode Ray Tube or CRT- which was the first electronic screen and was popular until the early 2000s. Whatever the screen type may be, they are now an essential part of information technologies and entertainment.

Whenever we hear about ‘Screen time’ we think that- ‘Oh no, here we go again. Someone’s coming up with a huge lecture.’ But most of us don’t understand in which aspects it’s good and in which cases it’s bad. For instance, according to Jessica Leichtweisz, the CEO of Hope Education Services & Autism Expert, “Watching YouTube videos helps young children learn their letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. Almost all study suggests that introducing technology to children at a young age is beneficial. The majority of the discussion about the usage of technology appears to be a generational and cultural gap.” Again, according to Diana Graber, the author of Raising Humans in a Digital World, “Screen time provides a space for youngsters to connect with like-minded folks, opportunities to pursue interests and hobbies that aren't available in 'real' life, and the ability to keep in touch with far-away friends and family.” So, screen time isn’t that bad when it comes to the development of kids, socialization of adults, and work.

Okay, we get it that screens are necessary for several cases, but why is screen time equally adverse for us all?!

The answer is, excess of anything is bad. Where screen time happens to improve the cognitive abilities of a child or help reduce the loneliness of an elderly, it also can have the following harmful effects:

1. It can make you sleep late at night and make it harder for you to sleep.
2. It can make your attention span shorter.
3. It can make you gain considerable weight.
4. It can have you physically weakened by inducing chronic neck and back problems.
5. Depression and anxiety are prevalent among people with greater screen time.

So, it seems that there are a lot of cons to increased screen time. But if we can control it, we can easily reap the best results from it. Some tips can be-

1. Setting aside time to unplug the electronic devices.
2. Having a fixed time for physical exercise and sports. Ones who tend to have exercises in their routine, tend to have lesser screen time.
3. Keeping the bedroom screen-free, and if that’s not possible, stop all electronic devices that contain screens at least 2-3 hours before going to sleep.

Ideally, one shouldn’t be indulging themselves in using screens for more than 2-3 hours a day apart from the actual work they’re doing. Even for children, the number shouldn’t go up above 2. Truth be told, screen time depends on one’s self whether one can make the best use of it or not. It all depends on sheer confidence, will, and motivation.