Why You Should Limit Your Screen Time

You'll form stronger connections with friends and family, and you’ll be healthier overall

Photo: Woman and her adult daughter sitting outside, enjoying ice cream

From arranging transportation, to ordering groceries, to catching up on work emails, our phones are capable of performing countless complex tasks and keeping us updated with what's going on in the world. But while the tiny digital devices many of us carry constantly are ultimately forces for good, too much time spent staring at a screen can have decidedly negative consequences. 

Roughly 86 percent of U.S. adults check their emails, texts, and social media accounts constantly or often, according to the American Psychological Association's report Stress in America: Coping with Change.

Naturally, this digital dependence can quickly lead to stress. “The association can go either way because the research is correlational,” explains Meghan Owenz, Ph.D., co-founder of Screen Free Parenting. “People who are more stressed may check more frequently. And, in turn, checking more frequently may cause more stress.”

While it's not necessary to avoid screens entirely, setting time aside each day to unplug and connect in person can reap some major brain benefits. “There is research which shows that when people spend time in nature without their devices, they feel less stressed and more creative, have improved moods, and sleep better,” explains Owenz. And that time spent in nature can be as simple as taking a walk in the park during your lunch break instead of checking your phone while you eat.

Save Facebook for those cross-country connections, Owenz also suggests. Connecting face-to-face with people, like choosing to dine with a friend at lunch instead of scrolling through your social feed or sending messages, helps to maintain and strengthen social ties.

Boost Quality Family Time

Parents and grandparents who limit screen time—for themselves and their children—can expect closer connections among members. “There is a growing body of research that shows parents are really distracted by their digital devices when they are with their children,” explains Owenz. “This distraction causes children to do more to bid for parents' attention, including acting out.”

When grandparents or parents are distracted by screens, that interferes with their relationship with a child. So if adults can create boundaries around their own device use, it might be easier to connect with a child—and that connection leads to better behavior down the road, according to Owenz.

Also remember that when you are on a screen, there is simply less time for all the other things that matter. “Imagine it is like water in a bathtub,” suggests Owenz. “When you put in that big chunk of screen time, some of the water overflows and doesn't fit anymore. That means there is less time for face-to-face interactions, exercise, moments in nature, and other really positive health influencers.”

How to Detach and Unplug

For many of us, our phones are our pocket partners that travel with us wherever we go—which can sometimes make going offline difficult.

Aside from trekking into nature where there is no cell service, try keeping your hands (or a child's hands) busy by reading a book, knitting, or coloring in a coloring book. You might also try downloading a "detach app" for your phone, which can block you out of certain addicting apps (say, email or Facebook) at various times of the day.

Don’t forget you can visit the Behavioral Health section of ibx.com 24/7 and access Magellan’s On To Better Health self-assessment tool.* This assessment offers confidential online access to self-help tools and resources proven to help emotional health and wellness. The resources include screening software and a resource library. Learn more.

*Magellan Behavioral Health, Inc., an independent company, manages mental health and substance abuse benefits for most Independence Blue Cross members