By Justice Seay & Staff
The Eagle’s Eye
Eisenhower HS
1st Place
Division 1, News Writing
School. Work. Relationships. Before March of 2020, many U.S. citizens depended on these daily face-to-face interactions to distance themselves from the constantly increasing presence of technology; now, people experience their lives through a screen.
Before the pandemic, 32 percent of teens ages 14-17 spent over four hours per day on their electronic devices. As of June 2020, that amount nearly doubled, with 62 percent reporting more than four hours of usage, according to Ipsos and the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition.
The drastic increase in device usage comes as no shock, especially with-
in teen age groups. In less than two weeks at the beginning of March, over 124,000 schools shut down in the U.S. Not only did students lose a hands-on education, they were also robbed of daily interactions with friends and family and sports opportunities. In turn, many flocked to social media and messaging platforms to maintain some semblance of normality.
With the constant use of social media apps to assuage boredom, the negative effects became gradually more apparent. A group of teens who considered quitting social media cited they wasted too much time on it (41 percent), there was too much negativity (35 percent), there was too much pressure on gaining the attention of followers (18 percent) and it made them feel bad about themselves (17 percent) according to a 2020 survey by ORIGIN. For many, however, they knew the decision to distance from social media would end up diminishing all remaining contact with peers.
Teens found themselves trapped by technology. What had once been mind- less scrolling to pass time before class or watching an episode of a Netflix show before bed became a 24/7 obligation and their only outlet to the outside world. Once again, the hope for normalcy faded even further after many schools announced a virtual return.
Teens have a screen time average of seven hours and 22 minutes, not including time spent on school and homework, according to a 2019 study from Common Sense. Adding the average of seven hours spent in virtual classes, as well as an average of three hours spent on homework, according to Statistic Brain, that is now done through online platforms, teens spend an average of 17 hours staring at their phone and laptop screens.
Not only does the overuse of technology negatively affect mental health, but it takes a toll on physical health as well. Blue light emitted from screens causes eyestrain and headaches and creates an imbalance in natural circadian rhythms. Poor posture while typing or scrolling puts pressure on the neck and spine, according to the Applied Ergonomics journal.
Though technology is to thank for the continued connections between family, friends and education during this time of virtual necessity, the negative effects are difficult to ignore. Some days one may feel trapped by their technology, but it is important to remember that life goes on even after the power button is pressed off.
Reserving off-screen time for personal enjoyment is necessary. Whether it be time spent with household friends and family, cooking, exercising, meditating or any other hobby, unplugged activities are crucial to setting technological boundaries.
Despite hopeful conditions like the vaccine rollout and return to in-person learning, it is still unclear when life will return to normal — or if normal even exists anymore. Instead, accepting and adapting to the situation at hand is the best and only option. Technology’s prominence will only continue to grow and become more advanced. Celebrating its ability to assist in everyday life, while still respecting one’s own health and comfort level, allows a coexistence of the ever-changing nature of tech with the preferred stability and consistency of personal life.
NW-06. Staff Editorial
Staff editorials should represent the opinion of the staff, editors or editorial board on a timely news matter of concern to the school, community, state, nation or world. They may express appreciation, offer interpretation or attempt to deal with problems. Editorials are not to be bylined, signed or initialed, or in any way identified as being the opinion of the writer(s). Submit a PDF of the print page(s) on which the story was published or the URL to the story on an online news site.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Represents the opinion of the staff or editorial board
- Topic relevant to interests and/or welfare of school or students
- Wins reader interest with a compelling lead
- Presents evidence/interpretation in logical sequence
- States issue; uses effective examples, facts, and comparisons to clarify
- Deals with specific issue: avoids preaching, rhetoric, and cliches
- Shows sufficient thought and research
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Proper diction/grammar