The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends less than 2 hours of entertainment screen time for children per day and discourages screen media use by children under the age of 2.
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Over the past few years, the psychological research bucket has been flooded with accusations of technology and its detrimental effects on our mental and emotional well-being. is stressful in our brains, particularly the prefrontal cortex, which is the engine of computation and mental function.
Dr. Mark Rego, a psychiatrist at Yale University and author of Frontal Fatigue, says that modern lifestyles overwhelm the prefrontal cortex (PFC), giving it the ability to process critical functions designed to control it. said to be hindering. “With chronic stress, the PFC loses its ability to transmit these signals, and the stress response continues unabated even when the original stressful situation is gone,” Dr. Rego writes in his book. increase. Like other workers responsible for ill-preparedness, the prefrontal cortex is assigned the job of mental illness gatekeeper, but it is not built to handle stress.
The dynamics of the brain’s inability to cope with the everyday stresses of modern life don’t help 21.st The success of the century, Dr. Rego wrote in an article for the Psychiatric Times. As a result, mental disorders have increased over time in industrialized countries. “Instead of consulting someone older, more experienced, or whoever you identify, to solve life’s problems, big or small, you turned to Google,” he wrote. increase.
This is doubly true for children and teenagers. In fact, much knowledge has linked phone use and depression in his teens, finding that reduced phone use directly correlates with symptom relief. This is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of screen time for children’s entertainment per day and discourages the use of screen-her media by children under the age of two. Think about what that will mean for individuals and society going forward.
How can a normal person tell if the prefrontal cortex is under attack? Consider the following symptoms: Loss of ability to pay attention. A short-term amnesiac mini-burst that causes problems with searching for words or forgetting where you put things. inability to multitask; and loss of emotional control. If these sound like common problems that everyone experiences, it’s because our entire culture is under the spell of technology. This suggests that the prefrontal cortex in many developed countries is crying for help.
Mental health professionals offer simple solutions for children and adults alike. This doesn’t mean you should completely disconnect from technology, but you should limit your screen time and avoid dependence on the internet.
How? Here are some very familiar workarounds:
use the five senses By leaving your home and embracing the natural world. Go hiking in the woods. Visit museums and arboretums. Enjoy fine dining with your nose and taste buds. listen to a concert. There are ways to stimulate the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch without using a screen.
use your creativity With some effort involving imagination. I write in my journal. Try woodworking. Take a pottery class. Learn the art of improvisation. I draw, dance, and play musical instruments. It’s especially important to use your imagination if you have children. Research shows that children become passive phone users, turning their brains off while consuming content. Helping you associate creativity and fun with off-screen activities provides an easily accessible outlet for stress relief.
train your body Use one of countless fitness options like running, biking, weightlifting, yoga, pilates and more. Exercising with children may require something more formal, such as gymnastics or karate lessons, or organizing a fun run. and play a role in managing stress.
be a social butterflyAlternatively, try to engage with your extensive friend network through activities you like, such as playdates, girls’ nights, or group events via meetups (online to connect people to offline activities).
My interest in this subject was sparked by a conversation with Future Point of View’s Scott Klososky.he reminds me of it Technology will not go away. In fact, it eats into our lives every day, for better or worse. Minimize the negative effects of screens by monitoring your prefrontal cortex and finding the stress reliever that works for you.
And it doubles for your kids.
