Shocking new data reveals how many years screens are stealing from our lives

Shocking data reveals that time spent in front of a screen may equate to 12 years of our lives and suggests how this very real problem can be tackled. 

What if we told you that up to 12 years of your life is spent in front of a screen or even more worrying, that your teenage daughter or granddaughter may be in the 45 per cent of youngsters exceeding four hours a day of screen time? Yes. The figures are alarming, especially when you put things into perspective. We are bombarded by warnings about social media, online trolling or how to control the screen time of our youngest and dearest. But the truth is, it’s a very real problem and it must be tackled head on.

Spaniards spend, on average, four hours a day on mobiles. This is the equivalent of a whole day every week and recent studies confirm that this is the bare minimum. Today’s society is caught in an infinite trap of obsessional need – the need to continually text and scroll and search.  Sadly, the consequences of this are already rearing their ugly heads: insomnia, anxiety and social disconnection are all common side effects of the ubiquitous mobile addiction phenomenon.

Screen excess: videos normalize harmful behaviours, romanticize risks

The American Psychological Association (APA) has tried to make users aware of the dangers of videos – often these form the basis of social media content and have the rather unnerving capacity to hook. According to the APA, “Teenagers are exposed to content that can normalize harmful behaviors, romanticize risks, and even perpetuate dangerous misinformation,” through these videos and posts. UNICEF supports this claim of dangers to young people highlighting that 52 per cent of adolescents access medical information that is often false and 60 per cent develop emotional bonds with influencers, making them even more susceptible to online risks.

Psychologist María Torres takes a fresh approach to the issue arguing that scaremongering, prohibiting or reprimanding are not the answer. Nor should families take sole responsibility. She emphasizes the collective effort which includes platforms implementing initiatives like time restrictions, content filters and content controls, measures which are already well on their way across Europe.

What can society do to address the problem of excessive screen time?

To combat this universally growing issue, the APA has issued some multilevel advice:

• See social media ‘intake’ as being like a diet and establish the idea of healthy choices in the same way as food for yourselves and your children. Parents need to lead by example in their own viewing habits to avoid their children replicating behaviours.
• Teachers can play a key role in educating on digital literacy and engaging them in anatomical facts like how their brains develop and how they could be affected by social media overuse as well as how to manage emotions independently.
• Platforms need to continue implementing stringent controls which filter and monitor content and even block younger users from sites.

In essence, addressing the pervasive challenge of social media overuse requires a unified effort—parents modelling healthy habits, educators fostering digital literacy, and platforms enforcing protective measures—to ensure a balanced, mindful, and safe digital experience for all.

In the meantime, let’s not waste another full day of next week staring at a phone screen!

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