In 2020, Singaporeans spent a daily average of 8.07 hours on the Internet, 2.47 hours on TV viewing and 2.17 hours on social media. That means we clock more than 12 hours of screen time every day – no wonder Singapore is the most fatigued country in the world.
Excessive screen time is detrimental to our health in many ways. For starters, it strains the eyes and may lead to or worsen myopia (short sightedness). A global study by Plano found that high levels of mobile device screen time in children were associated with almost a 30% higher risk of myopia, and when excessive computer screen time was added, this increased to almost 80%. Additionally, screen time may also cause sleep disruptions due to blue light emission, and may increase the risk of obesity because of the sedentary nature of mobile device usage.
With the upcoming school holidays, it might be tempting to ramp up screen time. But for the sake of eye health and overall wellbeing, we are recommending these other fun things you can do at home with your kids, which don’t involve screens.
