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Comment by dpeck | Hacker News Reader

Not all screen time is the same and it’s far beyond time for us to stop equivocating Facebook/Instagram and other social media nastiness with all the positive things that can be done on a screen.

It confuses people, and as we stare down another quarantine and a long cold winter telling people to spend less time with what could be their only contact to the outside world can be actively harmful.

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I just read the abstracts of one of the studies[1] and it's really including TV and general computer time, not necessarily social media time.

It also references a study that seems to focus more on computer time and "information" overload (at least from the abstract).[2]

I think it's a mistake to assume that sedentary screen time is not impactful so long as you're avoiding social media.

[1] https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s1291...

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31059635/

I think there are big questions on what screen time actual is though. Isn't general computer time essentially social media? At least for most people? Most people also aren't watching documentaries on TV or doing things that exercise the brain. All admit I didn't read your sources but I'm assuming reading books isn't detrimental so it's probably not the sedentary nature of the activity (I could be completely off). I do think that since these days we use computers so much that it does warrant breaking down the activity.

Does anyone have a study that does do this comparison?

you're commenting on a study with what sounds like an opinion that feels right to you. maybe it's not just about social media vs "positive" activities. some of it may be related to screen addiction and inability to focus due to externals stimuli. any unhealthy habit could have a configuration where its not as unhealthy to some people, but it doesn't mean the study is "confusing people"

The study considered "screen time" as an unvariegated whole[1]. That is confusing. Screen time is not a singular activity - there's an infinite diversity of things that you can do on a screen - some great for your health, other very poor.

It'd be like a study came out saying "food proven to make Americans overweight" because, on average, people eat junk food. Strictly speaking that is true, but it's not useful information.

[1]: Alright, it considered "non-work screen time" as an unvariegated whole - but my point still stands here.

This will remain opinion until we can get longitudinal studies that account for this. Current pediatric recommendations are basically no screen time for small children even though there are apps specifically for educational enrichment. It may be that all screen time is bad. Until the educational and informational parts are accounted for, all we can do is speculate.

I think a lot of people perhaps underestimate the value of an iPad that's not signed in to anything, and is just loaded chock full of epubs (and perhaps offline maps). You don't even need to turn on the Wi-Fi.

Computers can be simple tools for reading and study, if you want them to be, and make deliberate choices to that end.

The last few months I've spent a lot of time consciously re-engineering my screen time into what I want it to be and do, not what is easiest or most convenient. Getting off of most mainstream social media has helped tremendously, as it's truly insidious how engineered it is to seem like the most important, engaging thing in the world.

I'm doing much better now that I'm not exposed to strangers screaming about nonsense for a few hours each day.

> Getting off social media

Can anyone who lives alone at home, get rid of social media? I have lost contact with my parents, I’m single, I do have 20-50 friends in my city but not enough to feel loved during lockdown anyway. I know social media and movies are a poor man’s affection, but I removed that, I’d be madman #10000th. I’d also argue most studies don’t check whether it’s not the lack of affection/social fabric which causes addiction to social media and other problems.

You can have direct internet contact with your friends without social media. Send emails, have chat conversations, make video calls, the lot of it. It’s real, and not filtered and sorted to benefit advertisers.

If you're spending a lot of time reading, I'd suggest getting something work an e-ink display. It's much easier on the eyes

I significantly prefer backlighting for reading. To me, an iPad is way better than a printed book. For some reason, light-emitting is easier for my eyes.

How about a ebook reader that has a light built in? I also dislike reading printed books due to the lighting issues but much prefer a kindle oasis over my ipad.

>>> I'm doing much better now that I'm not exposed to strangers screaming about nonsense for a few hours each day.

When you put it that way... :)

I agree and I've mostly switched to a bedside Kindle after hours.

I guess that as screens become ubiquitous lumping everything into “screen time” will become increasingly meaningless. I imagine that in medieval times illiterate tribes who came across writing would see it as a kind of technology and be surprised how much “paper time” scribes or monks spend, without regard for the content of the information or the actual task being accomplished.

Agreed computers are tools for productivity and entertainment. You should set yourself up for success and utilize your machine/time accordingly. These are the first steps to exiting the screen time nightmare one may find themselves in.

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