At various universities, neuroanatomists and psychologists have data about the effects of ‘screen time’ on the brain. This data leads to the conclusion that everyone, but especially those under the age of 25, should take occasional extended breaks from the cyberworld.
Frequent and extended interaction with computers, smartphones, tablets, and gaming devices changes both the structure and the functioning of the brain.
Given that the brain is still growing and forming until, on average, age 25, large amounts of time with Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft may truly produce a misshapen brain.
Many people under the age of 25 spend more time with interactive electronics than adults, including their parents, apprehend. The more interactive the experience, the greater the distortion it produces in the brain.
For a teenager who may spend five or more hours a day with iPhone, iPod, and iPad, 24 or 48 hours of a total ‘digital fast’ may simply be the beginning. It takes that amount of time simply to get through the first phase of withdrawals.
Various forms of brain imaging - PET scans and functional MRI - suggest that a brain heavily influenced by Twitter, Facebook, xBox, and PlayStation won’t return to healthy internal patterns until a full week of ‘digital detox’ is behind it.
Given modern lifestyles, this is difficult to do!
If you’re going to try it, true ‘wilderness’ camping is a good way to start - out of cell phone range, and no electricity of any kind.
Happily, there are less drastic alternatives. Simply reducing the total number of hours per week spent in the presence of anything electronic is healthy.
Adults and teenagers can find alternatives in the real physical world. Indoors, there are jigsaw puzzles, card games, crafts, or simply straightening up that pile of papers on your desk.
Outdoors, you can take a walk, ride a bicycle, or read a book sitting on your back porch or under a shade tree.
As long as there’s nothing plugged into an outlet, and nothing running on battery power, you’re giving your brain a break from the almost non-stop assault from digital media. Whether you’re 55 or 15, it’s a good step toward health.
Workers of the world, unplug! You have nothing to gain but your brains!
