The Negative Effects of Media Devices on Adolescents
Are you wondering why you are getting bad marks or why you have no time to socialize or take part in extra-curricular activities? It’s probably because you spend too much time on media devices.
Did you know that the average minor spends about seven and a half hours on media devices a day? That’s 53 hours of media consumption a week. Do we even need half of that information we receive from media devices? Studies have shown that people remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 75% of what they discuss to others, and 90% of what they explain to others. In this case, you probably won’t remember your homework that much or ace a test if you’re on media devices 7 and half hours a day. During the last seven years, time spent listening to music, watching television, surfing the web, and playing video games has grown. When you indulge your time into media devices you are most likely to lose track of time due to an endless possibility of things to see, hear, watch, or read.
Nowadays students spend about 4 and a half hours in front of the television, two and a half hours listening to music, an hour and a half on the computer, and about an hour and 15 minutes playing video games. That leaves barely anytime for extra-curricular activities, reading, and learning important information such as homework. Time spent on media devices has affected students in many ways. Studies have shown that students aged 11 to 14 use media devices the most compared to any other age groups. Time spent on media devices can affect your body weight due to inactivity, behaviour depending on what you see and do, and concentration due to lack of focus.
Did you know that about 50% of students use media devices while doing their homework? Studies have also shown that about 50% of the greatest media users maintained a C average or lower compared to those who spend less than 3 hours a day on media devices. Therefore, time spent on media devices can affect you in many ways. There are many other options as to what you could do instead of sitting in front of the computer, television, listening to music, or texting your friends. You could indulge in a good book, sign-up for extra-curricular activities, spend time with friends and family, or find a hobby that you really enjoy. The possibilities are endless! You never know what’s out there.
While you are spending your quality time on something productive, you will also notice that you will have a clearer head and more time to spare. Also your brain won’t turn into mush with unimportant information. You now know how long an average 8-18 year old spends on media devices a day. You also know how spending time on media devices can affect you. You should try to find something else to do instead of sit around for 8 hours looking at a screen.
You’d be surprised at how much else there is to do. Next time you go watch television, surf the web, text your friends, listen to music or play video games, and try to manage your time. If you don’t, you may end up with 7 hours of wasted time in which you learned unimportant information that don’t really affect your life in anyway.
