Do you have sore, burning, itchy or tired eyes? Are you having blurred or double vision? If yes, then chances are you are spending too much of your time in front of your laptop, desktop or smartphone.
According to a new infographic from BusinessFibre.co.uk, “Americans spend an average of 6.31 hours time per day accessing the internet on any device.” This puts the US in 12th place among countries with the highest amount of computer screen time.
Needless to say, many small business owners whose businesses depend on the Internet spend more than 6.31 hours in front of a computer screen daily.
More Screen Time Statistics
The worldwide average amount of time per day spent using the Internet on any device is 6 hours 40 minutes. And Americans spend 6 hours 31 minutes. So they are just 9 minutes behind the worldwide average.
In the US, the average amount of time spent daily using the mobile Internet is 2 hours 24 minutes, and people spend 4 hours 7 minutes daily on the Internet using a laptop, desktop or tablet.
People in the US prefer their laptops, desktops or tablets to access the Internet, while the worldwide average screen time is the same for mobile devices and laptops, desktops and tablets, as found in the infographic.
It also reports that men use the Internet the most.
Effect on Health
Having too much screen time is harmful to health. Excessive screen time can damage the brain, as found in neuroimaging research.
However, the Internet plays an important role in the growth of many small businesses. So it is not feasible to avoid screen time. Even small business owners whose businesses don’t need the Internet to function cannot avoid screen time completely.
Ian Wright of BusinessFibre.co.uk stated, “In a world where we can access unlimited amounts of information in just a few clicks has revolutionized our lives. Not only has the internet and computer technology changed the way we work, our levels of productivity and how we see the world – it has also changed the way we communicate with people.”
What Small Business Owners Should Do?
The answer is to mitigate the harmful effect of screen time.
Following are some proven ways to counteract the effects of daily screen time:
- Lower the brightness of all devices
- Spend more time around nature and greenery
- Practice sleep hygiene
- Practice mindfulness
- Engage in creative activities
You should try to avoid eye strain in order to reduce the harmful effect of screen time. You owe it to yourself to stay healthy. So you should make sure that you are spending screen time wisely.
Also, you should encourage your employees, friends and family members to use screen time wisely and judiciously.
Take a look at the infographic from BusinessFibre.co.uk below for all the screen time statistics:
Image: BusinessFibre