Imagine putting salt in your tea instead of sugar, doesn’t sound so pleasant, right? There is a high possibility of this being a frequent occurrence, if you’re constantly obsessed over a screen for too long. To prevent your life from being overly influenced by screen time and eventually destroyed, it is best to strive to reduce your screen time. There are many benefits for reducing screen time, especially for teenagers. This is because they are known to be highly obsessed with their phones and usually spend about seven to nine hours looking at it. There are many benefits, if they reduce their screen time, such as improved mental health, better sleep habits and enhanced focus.

Reducing screen time can lead to a notable improvement for a teenager’s mental health. Known mental health indicators like depressive symptoms and stress can be improved in teenagers, as well as their whole well-being would be better with reduced screen time. For instance, bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com says, “a 3-week screen time reduction to equal to or less than two hours of screen time per day in healthy students resulted in improved well-being, decreased depressive symptoms, and reduced stress. Studies have always emphasised the importance of cutting back on screen time, as it highly affects mental health.

Reducing screen time can also help improve sleeping habits by naturally producing melatonin. Sleepfoundation.org says,”Screens, including smartphones, tablets, computers and televisions, emit short-wavelength blue light similar to sunlight.” The blue light tricks the body into thinking that it is still daytime, which suppresses the production of melatonin. For instance, an Apex High student named , Zainab, says, “It’s sometimes hard for me to fall asleep after I’m on my phone for too long.” This has more impact on children and adolescents, as they let in more blue light, which makes them particularly sensitive to the effects of blue light. 

Acpmn.com says, “Excessive screen time, particularly involving constant digital stimulation and multitasking, has been linked to a reduced attention span and impaired cognitive function.” Too much of the internet’s instant gratification for low effort tasks can decrease patience and impulse control, making it hard for the brain to focus on tasks without immediate rewards. Through reducing screen time, teenagers can allow their brains to slow down on tasks without constant distractions. Reducing screen time can help teenagers develop better concentration skills, benefitting both their school and personal lives.

It is essential to acknowledge and understand the benefits of reducing screen time to prevent giving an inordinate amount of attention to it. It is best to decrease your screen time to not only prevent unfortunate accidents, but to also improve your mental health, sleep habits and to have a sharper focus. These advantages come from decreased exposure to the negative effects of excessive screen use. Teenagers will certainly change their lifestyle for the better, if they reduce their screen time, as they not only improve academically, but also in their personal life.