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I cannot deny that I use my phone and computer quite frequently—I most likely fall into the percentage of people in society who overuse them. Knowing myself that this bad habit has to be somewhat harmful, I decided to a little research on how it affects people in general. Deshawn Salter’s article, “Study Shows Harm From Overuse of Electrons” he states, “In a recent study at the Indiana University School of Medicine, brain scans of kids who play violent video games showed an increase in emotional arousal and also a decrease of activity in brain areas involved with self-control, inhibition and the ability to focus.” The excessive use of these electronics can be mentally harmful for kids especially because their brains are still in the process of developing.
My ten year old little brother, Izaiah, started using electronics at a very young age, just as a lot of children in the younger generation has, and when it’s time for him to start on his homework he has trouble staying focused. Eventually he’ll get it done, but during that process he complains about not wanting to do it and just wanting to play his video games before he has to go to bed or begging to play just for thirty more minutes. Though, thankfully, this hasn’t gotten to the point where it’s affecting his grades, it still can be concerning because it is affecting his ability to focus.
Research shows that too much “screen time” is one of the major contributing factors of obesity and “a major risk factor for heart disease, according to the Texas Heart Institute” stated by Holly L. Roberts in, “The Negative Effects Electronics Have on Teens.” Not only can too much use of electronics be mentally deleterious it can also be physically harmful. I can say, myself, that when I get stuck on my computer for hours on end I lack so much motivation to go workout. Just reducing thirty minutes of electronics time per day for physical activity can significantly help decrease the risks of obesity and any of harmful diseases.
Though, I’ve only done minimal amount of research so far this information should be more than enough to cause concern to most readers because a lot of us are victims of overusing our electronics. Cell phones, computers, television, game counsels, and tablets are a wonderful privilege to have, but please be aware of how detrimental it can be to us. You don't need an extra thirty minutes be strong and turn off that screen! (Word Count: 386)