How Screens Will Shape Mood
Based on Hmidan et al., BMC Psychology, 2023

When I came across a recent Canadian study on screen time during the pandemic, I couldn’t help but pause. It showed that schoolchildren averaged about four hours a day on screens, and those numbers stayed high into 2021. More screen time, especially in homes with higher parental stress, was linked to greater anxiety and low mood.

I was interested because it confirmed something I’ve been thinking about for a while: the problem isn’t just screens, it’s what they push aside.

For me, it’s not only about kids, it’s about all of us. I’ve noticed that when my screen use creeps up, the real problem is what it replaces: connection, with conversations where we actually look at each other; green time, being outside long enough to reset; and rest, with evenings where my brain truly powers down before sleep.

And I’m realising the quality matters as much as the quantity. Doing a single hour of focused writing online is not the same as flipping through 60 minutes of one-minute reels. The first can energise me, the second often leaves me flat.

So lately, I’ve been asking myself: What is my screen time replacing today? And is there a way to swap even a small part of it back for the sunlight, rain, and soil my mind depends on?