Screen Time used to be a way to escape the world – but what happens when the world revolves around them for everyday life? 

Sleep, School, Homework, Repeat. This endless cycle has overtaken our lives over the past year of quarantine. Since school has been alternating between hybrid learning and remote learning, students and teachers have both been experiencing a skyrocket in their screen times. From spending just a few mere hours on homework, to completing every assignment online. Even during class, many students spend time on their phones. 

Many students who were once determined for school have begun to burn out from this repetitive cycle. Sitting in the same spot, staring at the same screen, doing the same grueling tasks leaves students thoroughly worn out. Valentina Galeano (‘22) said, “School has become repetitive since going online, especially since I feel like I’m living the same day over and over again. It’s not fun.” School once gave students an excuse to leave the house and see their friends, but now it has been diminished to nothing but a lengthy cycle. 

Staring at these screens all day is also diminishing our health. These screens can greatly affect students and cause headaches, blurry vision, and stress. Riley Sieber (‘22) said, “Staring at a screen all day for school is pretty hard, and I can’t focus really well.” Blue light disrupts our body’s natural sleep cycle. According to the National Sleep Foundation, blue light suppresses your brain from making melatonin, the hormone that makes you feel sleepy. Lack of sleep with the continuous blue light being absorbed by your body is a disaster in the making. 

Teenagers used to spend seven hours on average using screens. With online school now dominating screen time, students are spending around 6 hours in school. That is not even including the time needed for homework. The screens students would use to catch a break are now what we try to get away from during our days. Overall, depending on these screens for every aspect of our day while juggling the obstacles of life in a pandemic has greatly impacted student’s mental and physical health.