Essay Sample on Screen Time

It is no secret that we heavily rely upon some form of screen or another for information from the internet and various forms of social media. We rely on the internet for entertainment, information, communication, and even a keep safe for our private lives like passwords, etc. However, this reliance on screens to get everyday work done will cause more harm than good as it discourages the use of critical thinking and spreads misinformation and conspiracy theories.

Just like how most parents discourage children to use calculators at a young age, the extended use of screen time will badly affect people’s ability to think critically. The internet provides a wide catalog of information ready at your fingertips instantaneously, literally. This means people will stop using their ability to think and just “Google it”. For example, if one were to perform a simple calculation, instead of spending some effort and trying to calculate it manually, one would rather just use the internet to help them perform the calculation. Over time, this reliance on the internet will degrade the performance of seemingly simple tasks over time. Many people have experienced this, take summer, for example, its a period of time where the frequency of calculations and mental activity is lowered, resulting in a decrease in the ability to perform calculations and think critically.

Things on the internet spread fast and reach wide. However, the information, often advertisements are full of incomplete and often completely wrong information. As one can imagine, misinformation can be at times life-threatening, demonstrated by the recently-emerging that the vaccine is ineffective and actually has bad side effects. How quickly misinformation spreads is demonstrated by a study which showed “78% of the Public Believes or is Unsure About At Least One False Statement”(Kaiser Family Foundation). 

Although some may argue that screen time, and thus, the internet are what allowed people to connect during the coronavirus as well as online school. However, intensive periods of focusing on anything, especially screens, my cause eye fatigue, strain, and wear. As shown by a metaanylsis, “Eyestrain is a type of repetitive strain injury (RSI) that is caused by insufficient rest periods, incorrect working conditions and so forth.”(Cashin-Garbutt, University of Cambridge). Lastly, online school aren’t as effective anyway, as it is impossible to do the normal things that define conversation: eye contact, inflection, and overall projection and emphasis of certain words.

As we become forever more reliant on forms of screens, we also need to acknowledge the risks that we commonly unknowingly accept. Although some reason that screen time allow for children to be educated during tough situations, however the harm including increased eye strain and decreased academic performance just didn’t outweigh the benefits proposed. On the otherhand, things like degradation of the ability to critical think and perform simple actions, misconceptions/misinformation, and a source of constant distraction are why the rising time we spend on screens will ultimately negatively affect this generalization and the next.