Tips for reducing screen time (和 why that might be a good idea)

Lea en español

如果你担心你花了多少线上电子游戏飞禽走兽盯着屏幕，但无法想象没有它们的生活, 别担心，没人说你必须改用转盘电话或晶体管收音机.

社交媒体和电子设备本身没有好坏之分. 加州大学旧金山分校儿科学副教授Jason Nagata说. “他们确实有一些健康风险. 它们也有很多好处. Overall, we want people to optimize those benefits 和 minimize the risks."

On the plus side, the devices can foster social connections, said Dr. 安德里亚·格雷厄姆, 芝加哥西北大学范伯格医学院医学社会科学和预防医学助理教授. "Social support is incredibly valuable for our mood," she said.

但是，我们从社交媒体上的积极互动中获得的大脑化学物质的爆发会让我们很难退后一步, 经营着说. And even more passive forms of screen time can have health consequences.

永田领导了 研究, published in December in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 研究表明，在23岁时，每多看一小时电视，肥胖程度就会更高, high blood pressure 和 abnormal cholesterol 25 years later. Other research of his has linked screen use to 暴食行为障碍 和 睡眠问题 在年轻人中.

睡眠问题和其他心理健康问题也与成年人看屏幕的线上电子游戏飞禽走兽有关.

Whatever the form, Americans use screens a lot. A 皮尤研究中心报告 released in January found that 41% of U.S. adults reported being online "almost constantly." Among those ages 18 to 29, 62% said so. Audience research company Nielsen said adults spent an average of almost 每天五小时 2022年看电视, 而消费者研究公司GWI表示，处于工作年龄的互联网用户每天上网的线上电子游戏飞禽走兽接近7个小时.

If you're ready to cut back, this advice might help:

现实一点，并且要意识到

对于一些, totally unplugging from devices might be fine, 格雷厄姆说, 西北大学行为干预技术中心的联合主任. "But that's probably unrealistic for most people."

Many people are overzealous when they first try to adopt healthier habits, 格雷厄姆说, a psychologist who studies ways to support mental health through apps. 如果你能突然戒掉，那是很棒的，她说，“但大多数人需要更渐进的方法。."

So be "mindful 和 strategic" about why you're going online, she suggested. You might have started going on social media to relax, but ask yourself: Is it really that relaxing anymore?

Once you've evaluated what you're really getting from your time on screens, eliminate the things that aren't a positive influence.

A 2023年的研究 发表在《线上娱乐电子游戏网站》上的一篇文章显示，即使是简短的对话也有潜在的好处, 部分回落. 连续三周将社交媒体的使用线上电子游戏飞禽走兽限制在每天一小时的大学生报告说，他们对自己的自我形象和体重的感觉比没有改变的学生更好.

Think about what will fill the gap

格雷厄姆说，当拔掉插头时，你就有线上电子游戏飞禽走兽做一些能带来快乐的事情.

That could be health-boosting exercise or stress-reducing meditation. 她说，这甚至可以让你有更多的线上电子游戏飞禽走兽和朋友见面，而不仅仅是评论他们.

寻求技术支持

Keeping tabs on screen time can help, 格雷厄姆说. Most smartphones 和 tablets have built-in 工具s for that.

其他专家建议把手机调成灰度模式，这样通知就不会那么让人分心(没完没了的视频流也不会那么吸引人)。.

树立榜样

If you're a parent, you need to model proper screen behavior, 经营着说. “儿童使用屏幕的最大预测因素之一实际上是他们父母的屏幕使用情况."

他说，根据孩子的年龄等因素，每个家庭的做法会有所不同. 的 美国儿科学会 建议18个月以下的儿童除视频聊天外不要使用数字媒体, 和 children 18 to 24 months should view only "high-quality" materials, 而且只和父母在一起. 美国儿科学会表示，对于2至5岁的儿童，每天看屏幕的线上电子游戏飞禽走兽应限制在一小时以内.

对于年龄较大的孩子，建议在吃饭时或睡前一小时不要看屏幕. 永田领导了 研究 published last year in 睡眠健康 that showed many kinds of screen time – streaming movies, 玩电子游戏, 在青少年早期，打电话或发短信等与睡眠问题有关.

的re are no established limits for adults. 但如果你希望你的孩子在晚餐或家庭活动中忽略短信和提醒, 你也需要这样做, 经营着说. "If you decide on certain rules as a household, it's really important that parents are also held to those rules."

谈谈吧

作为一个家庭一起工作可能比设置硬限制的软件完成得更多, 经营着说.

"Oftentimes, children are more tech savvy than adults," he said. “即使你试图设置家长控制，他们也有办法绕过这些控制."

家庭可能会设置无屏幕区域，包括浴室和卧室. "Particularly for younger adolescents, if you want to monitor what kind of content they're watching, have them use screens in public spaces,永田说.

的 AAP encourages families to work together on a media plan 和 has a 工具 for building one on its website.

永田说，现在的公开讨论可以让年幼的孩子日后做出健康的选择. After all, "you're not going to be able to police them forever."

Pay attention to what happens next

After you take steps toward cutting down on screen time, be aware of how the change affects you, 格雷厄姆说. 如果你感到不那么焦虑，或者发现自己睡得更好，或者锻炼得更多, “庆祝它, 和 keep up the positive changes."

个人化

Remember, "not all screen time is bad,永田说. A video chat with out-of-town gr和parents can boost family ties. “如果有一部你非常想看的电影，家人可以一起看. 的n, you can have a conversation about it."

当涉及到寻找一个健康的平衡，找到最适合你的情况. 他说:“对于任何个人，甚至任何家庭，都没有一刀切的解决方案。.