Whether you’re at lunch, in class, or in passing, you’ve probably noticed that students have their phone out. Whether watching a show, adjusting what music is playing through their headphones, or just scrolling through social media to pass time, we here at CKHS find ourselves very attached to screens.

This trend also continues during the majority of class time. Students now do most of their work on their Chromebooks. It feels as if from the time students wake up, they don’t have a break from technology until they’re out of school. Even then, many students choose to relax at home with TV shows, social media usage, or playing video games. 

Of course, with the pandemic, this issue has worsened. According to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, “Screen time outside of virtual school among teenagers doubled from pre-pandemic estimates of 3.8 hours per day to 7.7 hours.”

This excessive use of screens comes with many consequences. Besides the obvious things such as not reading as much, spending less time with family and friends, and spending less time engaging in physical activities. According to a study done by the AACAP, excessive screen use can lead to self image problems, fear of missing out, obesity, and sleep problems.

Blue-light is another thing that impacts students with excessive screen usage. Especially if used at night. Blue-light convinces the brain that it is daytime, possibly impacting how long it’ll take for students to fall asleep if looked at up until nighttime, as well it can affect how deeply students sleep. This may lead to potential performance issues in school, and a lack of energy throughout the day. 

When it comes to the energy of students lately, we all know things have been hard. The pandemic as well as being reintroduced to school has been dramatically impacting not only productivity in the classroom, but out of it as well. Many students come home after school extremely exhausted after the long school days. 

For some, it may be in their best interest to potentially limit screen time, and take more time away from social media.