As our society becomes more advanced and many people use different electronic devices, we can start to see that the internet is having such a profound impact on our lives, and that without being able to access the phone or a laptop, you would not be able to function well. However, everything has its own advantages and disadvantages, whereas many people use the internet for very productive purposes, for example, to work or to search for different information. Many people rely on the internet for enjoyment, which has unfortunately led to a very important and very common issue nowadays, which is the idea of social media addiction. Essentially, social media addiction is when you spend way too much time online, you spend way too much time watching Instagram or TikTok or Facebook. This issue can have a lot of impact, especially if you're a teenager.
First of all, staring at the screen for so long without protecting your eyes or giving your eyes a break can really hurt your eyesight, so you have to wear a pair of glasses. Next up, many people who spend too much time online on social media and are not doing much stuff physically, therefore, it can be very bad for their health. A very common problem that these people have is obesity, because they don't work out often, and they tend to eat a lot when they are using these social media apps. Also, being addicted to social media can have a profound effect on your school work. Many people, instead of studying, they decide to use their phone, they use their iPad, or use their laptop in order to watch social media and have fun. However, as you know, one day has only 24 hours, and when you spend a lot of your time towards playing, watching videos on YouTube or Facebook, you wouldn't have much time left to do all the stuff, including doing homework or other academic work. Therefore, many people end up with a very bad academic record because they don't pay enough time towards doing their work.
That is why today, I would like to share with you some tips on how you can reduce your screen time, or how you can protect yourself from this social media addiction, which can greatly benefit your health and your life overall.
The first tip that I have for you is to take that phone away and lock it up. I am very serious right now. Remember that the choice is all up to you to decide, and whether you are able to control this addiction, it's up to you. Something that you need to learn is that you have to really be serious with yourself, instead of always trying to give yourself some excuse to use your phone to use TikTok or Facebook. Just lock it up, just put your phone, put your laptop somewhere with a lock, and then you lock it up and throw the key away. Force yourself not to use it at least until you have done something productive, for example, if you have done your homework and you can play a little bit. By forcing yourself into doing this, you can better control your feelings and also your actions, so that when you start to do it more often, this problem will be solved.
Next, spend time towards doing things that are more useful. Many people decide to use their phone and use social media because they don't have anything to do. However, remember that you always have stuff to do outside of entertaining yourself. Therefore, you should be studying instead. You should be doing something more productive. When you have been able to do this and focusing on something else, then I believe that you won't crave, you won't have the hunger, the desire for using your phone anymore.
Next up, you should have a limit on how much time you can spend per day on social media. Personally, I understand that many people use social media not only for entertainment, but also to contact other people, as well as to learn something new from the internet. However, you should also have a limit on how much time you can spend using it, and you have to stick with it, or else this addiction will continue on.
Finally, if you find out you have played the lord, try to punish yourself. I have to learn something called operant conditioning. Essentially, it means that if you want to break a habit that is bad, you have to associate that bad habit with a bad punishment, and when you associate them over and over again, you will eventually be able to escape from the addiction. For example, whenever you see yourself playing too much, punish yourself by giving a dollar away to your sister or your brother, and after you have done it over and over again, and you see the consequences of how you lose a lot of money, you will have a tendency, a much higher proclivity to not use social media.
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