When it comes to smartphones or screen time, we often hear about its negative effects on adolescents. But we don’t hear much about its potential impact on older adults.
Matthew Buman is a professor in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University.
"In fact, we did this review, where we were looking at all the studies out there that have tried to reduce screen time. And there are countless studies on kids and adolescents. There's three in adults and there's none in older adults at all," Buman said.
And still too soon to tell if older adults are just as susceptible to becoming addicted to their smartphones in the same way that adolescents are.
"Most of the technology that is being developed is being user tested with younger populations. Therefore, a lot of the technology that's being consumed by older adults, unfortunately, has not been designed for them," Buman said.
There are two sides to this smartphone coin, says Dana Marie Kennedy with AARP Arizona.
"It can actually improve your connection, and it can also allow you to feel somewhat disconnected."
Kennedy says if your phone is getting in the way of your real relationships — say lunch with friends — or is distracting, like while driving, she suggests using the phone’s focus mode.
"If their phone rings, they're just automatically trained to, ‘I need to answer it.’ You don’t need to answer it," Kennedy said.
Buman says what all individuals should consider is the kind of screen you're looking at.
"Things like blue light exposure and other factors can play a big role, especially for older adults, actually. So, if you have a smartphone right in front of your face, the blue light exposure coming off of that smartphone being emitted can disrupt sleep," Kennedy said.
