It’s Not Just Politics: The Increase In Screen Time Also Affects Your Mental Health
2020 was filled with anxiety-inducing events: a global pandemic, a presidential election, and nation-wide protests for social justice. It’s no wonder that this tumultuous year also brought a surge in “doomscrolling,” described by Vox as “the masochistic practice of compulsively scouring the internet in search of ever more terrible information.”
Data from App Annie, an app analytics firm, showed that in 2020, Americans averaged about four hours a day on their phones, up from three hours in 2019. Some of this time is spent simply trying to keep up with the news — which in itself can take a toll on mental health. Between doomscrolling, checking social media, reading recent headlines, and spending more time on remote work platforms like Zoom, screen time is fueling anxiety, depression, and other psychological changes. We’re spending too much time staring at screens, and it’s affecting our mental health.
The good news? Not all online activities are bad. The pandemic has also increased adoption rates for telehealth platforms, and social media allows us to stay connected in a time of social distancing. Routine social media use has been linked to positive mental health outcomes — but it all comes down to our reasons behind spending more time online. Here’s how to better understand the risks and benefits of scrolling through screens.
How does screen time affect your brain?
Screens have only been widely accessible for about 30 years, and as a result, there are no conclusive studies that spending a certain number of hours staring at a screen is bad. However, initial research shows that social media, in particular, can lead to anxiety and depression.
Studies on screen time consumption by children and adolescents may provide the best indication of what all this scrolling is doing to our mental health. The NIH conducted an Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study with more than 11,000 kids between the ages of 9 and 10 throughout the United States. “MRI scans found significant differences in the brains of some children who reported using smartphones, tablets, and video games more than seven hours a day,” said the Center for Anxiety Disorders. “Children who reported more than two hours a day of screen time got lower scores on thinking and language tests.”
For adults, the negative effects of social media and internet use get compounded by our own psychological predilections. As clinical psychologist Amelia Aldao explained to NPR, humans are naturally wired to be on the lookout for threats. As a result, we’re paying more attention to negative news, creating a toxic cycle. “The more time we spend scrolling, the more we find those dangers, the more we get sucked into them, the more anxious we get,” she said. “Now you look around yourself and everything feels gloomy, everything makes you anxious. So you go back to look for more information.”
It’s likely that the last 12 months have caused us to over-use our phones. We’re becoming glued to our screens and dependent on social media in ultimately unhelpful ways. However, it’s not all bad; screen time can also provide a coping mechanism for those who use their devices responsibly.
Can screen time have a positive impact?
In many ways, technology helped us through 2020: from Zoom calls with friends, family, and coworkers to memes that made us laugh, more screen time wasn’t necessarily always a bad thing.
Spending time on social media can help us feel less isolated — especially in a time of social distancing. “Social media is helping people stay connected during lockdown, and as the conversation shifted away from Covid-19 and toward racial justice and the Black Lives Matter movement, it’s become a tool for active engagement — spreading news about protests, bail funds, community resources — rather than just a forum for the passive consumption of pandemic updates,” reported Wired.
Besides the social upside of spending time online, there were also direct mental health benefits. McKinsey reported that adoption rates of telehealth increased from 11% in 2019 to 46% in 2020. As we spent more time online, we became more comfortable shifting more aspects of our daily lives to a virtual setting. As a result, there are more patients connecting with therapists, doctor’s offices, and treatment centers than ever before.
Striking the right balance
Screen time can both help and hurt your mental health: so how can you strike the right balance between too much and not enough?
The line between harmful use and helpful use depends on intent. A study by Harvard Health looked at how social media can impact social well-being and positive mental health. It found that routine social media use, such as checking Instagram for content from friends, is positively associated with better mental health. However, when there’s an emotional component to social media use, mental health tends to suffer.
Bottom line: it’s not just about duration or frequency when it comes to screen time and mental health. It’s about using social media and other platforms to strengthen your relationships, stay informed, and connect with others. When possible, avoid checking apps out of fear of missing out — pay attention to your reason for opening social media channels or doomscrolling. Make an effort to communicate with your close network on the phone or in-person.
By examining why and not just how often we spend looking at screens, we can maximize the benefit of social media without putting our mental health on the line.
