Scientists have explained the difference between harmful and useful screen time
The harm from using smartphones and other gadgets is determined not by the number of hours spent in front of the screen, but by the context: the time of day, the purpose, the degree of engagement and the structure of the content consumed. This was reported on June 8 in the journal Medical Xpress.
The authors of the study, associate professor of Psychology Nelson Rock and graduate student Rnanda Shaleha, suggest evaluating screen time according to five parameters: duration, time of day, purpose of use, degree of interactivity and content structure.
"We cannot think of screen time as one homogeneous phenomenon if we want to understand what is actually useful and what is harmful," Shalekha stressed.
At the same time, even a long stay at the screen can be neutral or positive. According to Rock, in one minute online you can meet a future friend or find a solution to a long-standing problem, or you can start an alarming spiral that will ruin the whole week. Researchers see a particular threat in the so—called fragmented content - short videos. The brain is forced to continuously process unrelated stories, which depletes working memory and reduces cognitive resources.
An additional mechanism for audience retention is the endless feed: it is specially designed so that the user constantly scrolls further for fear of missing something important. Each new video activates the reward system in the brain, which causes a person to lose control of time.
"This is part of the so—called dark UX — deceptive and manipulative interface elements that lead the user to where the developer needs to go, rather than the user himself," Rock explained.
The authors recommend discussing with children the emotional consequences of specific sessions on the Internet and using parental control tools, but do not panic: harmful patterns can be corrected.
A popular trend has become on TikTok, in which users generate short vertical cartoons using artificial intelligence, where anthropomorphic fruits and vegetables experience exciting love dramas. Piquant videos are created by users all over the world, overlaying the generated voiceover in different languages.
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