Too Much Screen Time!

By Editorial Staff

Twenty-four hours in a day – and the average American adult is spending nearly half of it glued to a screen, whether a computer, tablet, smartphone, television, etc., according to a recent Nielson Company audience report. Findings suggest American adults spend 10 hours and 39 minutes daily on tablets, smartphones, personal computers, multimedia devices, video games, radios, DVDs, DVRs and TVs. Of note, that's a one-hour increase in average screen time from last year, according to Nielson, and unfortunately, we'll likely see continued increases in the years to come.

In case you think all that screen time is accounted for by work-related endeavors, here are some other alarming statistics from the latest report:

• The average U.S. adult spends approximately 4.5 hours a day watching shows / movies.
• Adults spend an estimated 1.7 hours a day consuming media on their smartphones.

So, what's all this screen time doing for our health? Let's not even concern ourselves with the potential dangers of staring at a screen all day and focus on the lost time we could be sacrificing by turning to our phones / TVs / computers at all hours of the day and night; time that could be better spent on exercise, communication with friends, family and loved ones, or simply relaxing. If you think watching TV or staring at your phone for hours on end is a healthy form of relaxation, you'll be surprised to learn that in general, it's actually the opposite effect due to the constant overload of information / noise / etc.

The bottom line: It's time to tune out our devices more and tune into healthier ways to spend our time. For tips on how to limit your screen time, click here. For additional information from the Nielson Company report, click here.