Local doctor suggests taking break from the screen, no matter how hard it may be
SAN ANTONIO – Social media can be a good way to keep in contact with friends and family both near and far during these social distancing times.
But, are some taking it too far?
With a lot of people working from home, some feel isolated and are turning to social media.
We spoke with Dr. Steven Pliszka, the chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UT Health San Antonio.
He told us though social media can be good, it should not consumer your entire day.
“People sort of get into this situation where if you're isolated at home you're getting up, you don't have anywhere to go, so people kind of go right to their phone, right to their computer,” Dr. Pliszka said. “It's certainly fine if you're watching a movie, watching a documentary, that can keep your mind occupied. But I think when a lot of people are getting in the habit of doing is, they go to Facebook and they just click from one thing to another.
“They go to YouTube and just watch whatever video is suggested to them over and over again I think this has several negative aspects.”
He said this routine can be especially hard when it comes to your children and going back to school, or just about your every day life.
"People get into and find all kinds of misinformation that may lead them to behave in way that is harmful to them, whether it is not taking appropriate precautions or using treatments that haven't been validated and could potentially cause harm," Dr. Pliszka told us. "It just kind of has a mind numbing dulling effect, people start feeling that there's nothing else that they want to do.
"They're bored when they're away from the social media, so when the time goes, when it is time to go to work if you work online, do school work online, they have difficulty getting the energy up to do that."
To help keep social media habits in check for your children, the doctor recommends keeping a routine. Set aside time for all activities that require screen time, such as video games, social media and watching TV.
But, he says parents also need to set aside time for their children to do other activities, like playing with toys or outside.
For adults, he suggests developing a non-media hobby. If you used to paint, take it up again or read a book, do just about anything to take a break away from a screen.
