Every once in a while, we’ve all heard the phrase “Spending time on your phone will affect your mental health”. The age-old household phrase may just be coming to an end as a new study shows a very interestingly contradictory result.
Study co-author Candice Odgers and professor of psychological science at the University of California States "It may be time for adults to stop arguing over whether smartphones and social media are good or bad for teens' mental health and start figuring out ways to best support them in both their offline and online lives,".
Nearly 400 students from various public schools in the age group 10-15 years were tracked on their smart devices for a length of two weeks.
The study yielded no cause or correlation between students who used more types or spent more time with digital accessories and mental health.
In contrast, the study picked up signs of a positive outlet that allowed for students to share their emotional state with each other. For example, subjects who exchanged text messages more often reported feeling better than those who didn’t.
While the study does not completely conclude the possibility for a negative effect on the mental health of adolescents due to an increasing exposure to technology, it does lessen the worry from concerned parents and of course the young ones “addicted” to screens. The excess exposure does however hold negative effects that are proven. For example, screens from devices such as tablets and smart phones emit harmful blue light that can cause headaches, eye strain and irritated eyes for children.
In conclusion the best course of action as with everything is sticking to the middle ground. Too much of anything can never be good. Take everything in moderate healthy amounts. Even the wonders of technology.
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