Teens on Screens Infographic

Teens on Screens Infographic

It seems like modern kids are constantly plugged in, tapping away on their iPhones, obsessively gaming and SnapChatting. What's just as scary as how much time kids spend on screens is the effect it can have on their health. The Teens on Screens Infographic presents some ways screens may be harming kids' bodies

What a Constantly Plugged-in Life is Doing to Kids' Bodies

• Children are 50% more likely to experience pain in their fingers and wrists for every hour per day they play video games.
• Children who spend more time in front of scams and less time outside have narrower blood vessels in their eyes - an issue that‘s been linked to cardiovascular disease in adults.
• Researchers have described the phenomenon that results when teens spend too much time on social networking sites as Facebook Depression.
• 61% of obese boys, and 63% of obese girls, reported watching television for two or more hours each day.
• An estimated 12.5% of children and adolescents ages 6-19 have suffered permanent damage to their hearing from excessive exposure to noise.
• 84% of 18- to 24-year-olds admitted to having back pain from being slumped over their phones, known as "iPosture".
• In one study, students couldn't concentrate on their homework for more than two minutes without distracting themselves with screens.
• Only 20% of adolescents get the recommended nine hours of sleep on school nights, and 45% sleep fewer than 8 hours, in part due to attention-stealing devices.

While it would be impossible to rid your kids' lives of technology completely -- and you wouldn't want to, because of its many joys and benefits -- parents can take a few measures to help prevent its negative mental and physical side effects.