In today’s hyper-connected world, screen time is nearly unavoidable. Whether you’re scrolling on your phone, attending virtual meetings, or binge-watching your favorite series, it’s easy to lose track of just how long you’ve been glued to a screen. We see the impact of prolonged screen time every day—neck pain, posture problems, eye strain, and a sedentary lifestyle that leads to more serious long-term issues.
We’ll break down the physical effects of too much screen time, share common symptoms to look out for, and provide strategies to reduce screen time and improve your health.
Excessive screen time affects more than just your eyes. It influences your entire musculoskeletal system. Prolonged sitting, slouching over phones, and a lack of movement can lead to chronic pain, poor posture, and even long-term injury if not addressed early.
The average adult spends almost 7 hours a day on screens, not including work-related use.
Individuals should strive to reduce screen time to less than 2 hours per day for non-work use cases. Individuals who place parental controls or additional restrictions on screen time usage can help to progressively lower screen usage.
If you’ve ever finished a long day and felt “off,” your screen habits may be to blame.
Some of the common symptoms, effects, and injuries we see include: tech neck, rounded shoulders, poor posture, low back pain, wrist and thumb pain, eye strain, and headaches.
Tech neck can occur as a result of tilting your head forward for extended periods of time while you’re looking at a screen or lying in bed scrolling in an uncomfortable position. Rounded shoulders can easily happen when you’re sitting at a desk or hunched over your phone for extended periods of time. Over time, your back muscles may weaken which can contribute to bad posture and back pain.
Endless scrolling can also contribute to wrist and thumb pain from overuse with minimal breaks. Shining bright light from devices can also cause eye strain and headaches.
Other common issues that may occur as a result of extended screen time may include:
The good news is that while our schedules are increasingly inundated with opportunities to take a quick glance at the phone or tablet, there are things you can do to alleviate or counteract the effects of too much screen time. Take a look at some of these simple and proactive steps that you can take to put the devices down and mitigate screen time.
The first thing that you can do to begin counteracting the effects of too much screen time is to identify what triggers you or your family members have which may spark screen time. Is it a lack of activities, is it an obsession with knowing what’s going on with celebrities, are there certain periods of the day that trigger screen time more than most?
Identifying what may trigger screen time can help you actively work to mitigate those moments throughout the day.
If you work in a role all day where you’re required to stare at a screen, tablet, or mobile device for extended periods of time, the 20-20-20 role may help to alleviate some eye strain. Every 20 minutes, take some time to look away from the screen at something roughly 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This change in your focus depth may help to relax your eye muscles.
Another thing you can do is set up movement reminders in your phone. A good timer can range from 30 to 45 minutes and will allow you to get those important notifications when it’s time to stand, stretch, or walk around for a bit.
Adjusting your screen setup to have the center of your screen at eye level can help to alleviate some of the tech neck or bad posture that can creep in when you’re staring at a device or screen that isn’t at eye level. Use a stand that you can prop your device or monitor on which will allow you to raise it to eye level, or invest in a standing desk that will allow you to change the position as needed.
The next thing you can do is to make sure that you’re getting in your daily mobility exercises and stretches. When you’re standing up every 30 to 45 minutes with those movement reminders we highlighted above, take some time to get those stretches and exercises in to help alleviate tight muscles or discomfort that can creep in throughout the day. A few shoulder rolls, upper back stretches, chin tucks, and gentle neck rotations can help to reduce stiffness and help you reset your posture.
As you seek to reduce your screen usage, try to limit the amount of non-essential screen time throughout the day. When you’re on a call, avoid scrolling on your laptop or tablet. When you’re in a conversation, avoid checking those notifications that popped up on your phone. A few simple tweaks here and there can help you cut down on those distractions that lead to extended screen time.
Tech neck, chronic low back pain, chronic neck pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome are just a few of the issues that can arise from extended screen time. Physical therapy can be an effective treatment option for many of the common symptoms and effects from extended screen time, along with many other conditions. Physical therapy can help address early warning signs like posture changes, fatigue, stiffness, and acute pain before it becomes chronic.
Your physical therapist will teach you effective exercises and stretches that you can do to alleviate some of the pain that creeps in as a result of extended screen time and help you ensure that you’re doing all you can to remain active.
One of the best things that you can do to address screen time from becoming a problem is to try and make a conscious effort to be present where you are. Spending time with friends and family? Put the phone down and pay attention to the conversation. Try and be present where you are.
Sleeplessness and/or feeling tired when you wake up may be a result of the late nights scrolling social media or surfing on your phone or tablet. Try to avoid watching television or scrolling on your phone before bed. You could be straining your eyes or be eating into quality sleep hours by staying up late to watch a few more funny social media videos.
There are also things that you can do to support better self-discipline. Whether you’re trying to reduce the hours your kids or family members are spending on screen time or trying to mitigate the hours yourself, you can implement additional barriers that will help reduce or mitigate screen time. Don’t hesitate to implement parental controls on devices or software which have allotted hours. If you need to, you can even set up a schedule to wean the time and reduce the amount of screen time over an extended period instead of trying to stop cold turkey.
Another great thing that you can do is to be a model of good behavior for others. If you’re constantly telling your kids or family members to put the phones and devices away, but they see you scrolling, your ability to have that message sink in will be weakened. Instead, practice good habits yourself and set an example for others.
The average individual spends almost seven hours of screen time each day, and the numbers keep rising. Experts recommend anything over two hours of screen time is too much.
Too much screen time can impact individuals of all ages. It’s better to teach effective habits to younger generations so that they can carry those good habits throughout their life, but everyone can be impacted by too much screen time.
Physical therapy can be an effective treatment option for many of the screen time effects including posture issues, tech neck, chronic neck pain, chronic back pain, carpal tunnel, stiffness, and more.
Physical therapy can be an effective treatment option for many of the common effects and symptoms stemming from too much screen time. Common complaints include lower back pain, tech neck, chronic neck pain, carpal tunnel, poor posture, and decreased activity levels from scrolling too often.
Physical therapy can help address many of the musculoskeletal issues that can stem from prolonged screen usage and empower you to be more active throughout the day by addressing the underlying issues causing the pain or discomfort, and teach effective techniques to get up and active instead of scrolling on the phone all day.
Request an appointment at a nearby physical therapy location to see how PT can address those screen time effects and help you get more active.
