Science Vs Podcast: Is Too Much Screen Time Causing Brain Farts?

 There was a time in the mid-50s when parents claimed that the hip gyrations of Elvis Presley caused children to do poorly in school. In the 70s, utility lines were scrambling people's brains. In the late 90s, the world would end when all electronics stopped working at the stroke of midnight 2000.

Today, we have a new bogeyman -- called electronic screens (TV, computer, phone) -- which are blamed for many of society's real or perceived problems.

In the latest episode of the Gimlet / Spotify podcast Science Vs, host and science journalist Wendy Zukerman and her team of fact checkers explore the questions:

1. How bad is screen time for kids? Is it turning their brains to mush?
2. Are screens - and particularly social media -- making us miserable?
3. Is our 24/7 screen obsession actually detrimental to our eyesight?

 During the episode, you’ll hear expert interviews surrounding these pressing concerns with Brenna Hassinger-Das, assistant professor of psychology at Pace University studying how children interact with screens; Natalie Pennington, assistant professor at the University of Nevada and social media researcher; and Dr. Maitreyee Roy, from the University of New South Wales in Australia who has been studying how the light from screens affects our eyes.

For parents, the investigation by Science Vs may help them stop screaming about screens. It's possible that screen time does not damage children's attention span and focus.  

And while the number of people in the world with nearsightedness (myopia) is increasing at an accelerated rate, staring at a screen is probably not the primary cause. 

To find out more about research into the effect of screen time on children and adults, LISTEN: HERE.

 This season on Science Vs, the podcast will delve into a variety of new topics ranging from a study of the cicada swarms to whether aliens could really exist to snake antivenom and much more.

Check out the rest of the 10th season of Science Vs so that you can separate fact from fiction.

Wendy Zukerman is a science journalist and host of Gimlet Media podcast Science Vs, the show that pits myth and fads against science. Science Vs has seen over 15 million downloads in nearly 100 countries around the world. 

Science Vs host Wendy Zukerman

 Before joining Gimlet, Wendy worked at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and was the Asia Pacific reporter for New Scientist magazine.  While in Australia, Wendy regularly appeared on national television and radio to discuss health, science and technology. She's also a regular contributor to BBC Radio. Wendy lives in Brooklyn, New York.