Negative Effects of Screen Time on Children

Running head: NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SCREEN TIME
DOES SCREEN-TIME AFFECT CHILDREN IN A POSITIVE WAY OR IN A NEGATIVE
WAY?
Name of the student:
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NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SCREEN TIME
Title: DOES SCREEN-TIME AFFECT CHILDREN IN A POSITIVE WAY
OR IN A NEGATIVE WAY?
The assignment will reflect the negative outcomes of screen time on children through
evidence based information.
Screen time can be defined as the time that is spent by the individuals during the use of
different types of devices that are computer, television as well as the video game console.
Researchers mainly describe this aspect as one of the element of sedentary lifestyle (Hale and
guan 2015). With the gradual advancement in the field of technology, various kinds of gazettes
have been produced in the markets and use of internet connectivity had resulted people in being
hooked with the gazettes. Besides the use of television and video games, the present age is
witnessing the excessive use of social media and smart phones and hence more screen time is
spent on these objects (Dong et al. 2017). Children have become the easiest victims to these that
are affecting them in various ways. The assignment will mainly enlighten the different negative
aspects associated with the rise of screen timing in the lives of the children so that effective
interventions can be developed and they can be provided with better quality lives in their future.
One of the most harmful effects that result from high screen time is the negative
outcomes on brain that result in brain damage. Researchers are of the opinion that children who
have high screen time suffer from issues of brain where the gray matter undergo atrophy.
Shrinkage or loss of tissue volume in the areas of the gray matter takes place which the
processing unit if the brain (Wu et al. 2015). The main areas that are affected are the frontal lobe
that is mainly responsible for the executive functions that include planning, prioritizing,
organizing as well as impulse control. They are seen to take part in impulsive activities, poor

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NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SCREEN TIME
processing of information and issues with reasoning skills. Many other researchers have stated
that such actions also lead to reduction in the cortical thickness in the teenage individuals who
are internet addicted. Cortical thickness is also seen to be reduced in the frontal lobe of the online
gaming addicts and this is well correlated with the impairment of the cognitive task. Impaired
cognitive functioning results in less efficient information processing which also lead to reduction
in the impulse inhibition. Abnormal spontaneous brain activity is also seen to be associated along
with poor performance in various tasks (Demoeas et al. 2015).
Most of the digital screen is seen to emit blue light as well as high energy visible (HEV)
light wavelengths. This has the capability of causing irritation as well as possibly long-term
damage of the retina. It is also seen to have the capability to suppress the sleep hormone
melatonin. This results in development of an artificial feeling of weakness which even disrupts
sleep patterns that in turn result in eye strain. One of the most important harm that it can also
cause is the dryness. Dryness is mainly seen to cause reduced blinking while the children stare at
the screens (Kremer et al. 2014). Usually the normal blink rate is about 15 to 20 times per minute
that may decrease by up to range of half when children are seen to be fixated on what they are
viewing something on the screen. When such children are staring at the screen without blinking
their eyes, their tears are believed to get evaporated and therefore they are also seen to suffer
from dry spots, blurred vision, pain, redness and others. Over the course of days, situations are
seen to get worsened and eye conditions and visions become impaired.
Another one of the negative impact that the children are also seen to be effected from is
the obesity. When children spend too much time indoors in a sedentary position on their gazettes,
televisions and computers, they have a risk of becoming overweight. They are not being able to
undertake physical activities that could have been achieved if they play on fields, take swimming