Too Much Screen Time

Too Much Screen Time? Written by Keith and Sarah Quartermarten. Focus question. What is screen time? What effects can it have on people?

对着电子屏幕太久了？ 基思·夸特马丁、萨拉·夸特马丁 著 思考问题 什么是屏幕时间？ 它会对人们产生什么影响

Time's up! A girl wearing a black helmet and a purple backpack runs across a grassy field. She scoops up an axe from the ground. Then she chops down a tree and begins building a tower. Someone is coming up behind her, so the girl ducks behind a wall to hide. She has a chance of winning, but only if she doesn't get caught. A voice floats up from downstairs. Dinner is in five minutes. Oh no! Quitting the game now would be a disaster. There's no time for dinner. But Dad insists. Screen time is over. Winning will have to wait until tomorrow.

时间到啦！ 一个戴黑色头盔、背紫色背包的女孩跑过一片草地 她从地上捡起一把斧头 接着她砍倒一棵树，开始搭建塔楼 有人从她身后过来，所以她躲到墙后面 她有机会赢，但前提是不能被抓住 一个声音从楼下飘上来 再有五分钟就开饭啦 哦不！ 现在退出游戏可就太糟糕了 哪有空吃晚饭呀 可爸爸坚持要她出来 看屏幕的时间结束咯 赢游戏只能等到明天啦

Screen time. Good or bad? Video games and social media apps are incredibly popular. Everyone at school might be playing the same games and swiping through the same photos. They're all watching the same videos, TV shows, and movies too. Then they text, chat, and post about them.

屏幕时间 是好还是坏呢？ 电子游戏和社交软件都特别受欢迎 学校里大家可能都在玩同款游戏，刷同一些照片 他们也都看同样的视频、电视剧和电影 之后还会发短信、聊天、发帖子讨论这些内容

All of these activities use screens, flat electronic panels that display images and information. The world is full of screens. They are on TVs, computers, smartphones, and tablets. Screens are at school, at home, and just about everywhere in between. The time people spend every day looking at screens is known as screen time. Some families have strict rules about how much time children can spend with screens. Others may have fewer rules. Why do any of these rules exist? Are adults just trying to ruin the fun, or are there good reasons to limit screen time?

所有这些活动都要用到屏幕——就是能显示图像和信息的平板电子装置 我们的世界到处都是屏幕 电视、电脑、手机和平板上都有它 学校里、家里，几乎任何地方都有屏幕 人们每天盯着屏幕的时间就叫做屏幕时间 有些家庭对孩子的屏幕时间有严格规定 另一些家庭规则就少一些 为什么要有这些规则呢？ 大人们限制屏幕时间，只是故意扫大家的兴吗，还是说有充分的理由？

People have been asking questions about screens for many years. Some of the first scientific studies of the effects of television appeared in the late 1940s. Scientists continue researching the effects of screen time on health, relationships, and brain development. However, technology develops quickly. Many devices, apps, and games are fairly new. This makes it challenging for researchers to collect good results.

人们探讨屏幕相关的问题已经很多年了 早在二十世纪四十年代末，就出现了一批最早研究电视影响的科学研究 科学家们至今还在研究屏幕时间对健康、人际关系和大脑发育的影响 不过，技术发展得太快了 很多新设备、新软件、新游戏都是近年才出现的 这让研究人员很难得到可靠的研究结果

Screens and health. A boy stays up late playing video games. The next morning, he wakes up late and almost misses the bus. Mom makes a new rule. No screens before bed. She wants her kids to get enough sleep. Many people watch TV or look at social media before bed. They believe it will help them relax and fall asleep more easily. However, most researchers recommend turning off electronic devices an hour or two before bedtime. The light from phones, tablets, and other screens tricks the brain into thinking it is daytime. This makes it harder to fall asleep at night. Looking at screens before bedtime causes people to get less sleep and to wake up more often during the night. Lack of sleep can cause changes in mood, make it difficult for students to pay attention in school, and lead to other health problems.

屏幕与健康 一个男孩熬夜玩电子游戏 第二天早上，他起晚了，差点赶不上公交车 妈妈定下了一条新规矩 睡前不准碰屏幕 她想让孩子们睡够觉 很多人睡觉前都会看电视或者刷社交平台 他们觉得这样能放松，更容易睡着 不过，大多数学者都建议睡前一到两个小时就关掉电子设备 手机、平板和其他屏幕发出的光会欺骗大脑，让大脑以为还是白天 这会让人晚上更难入睡 睡前看屏幕会让人睡眠变少，夜里还更容易醒 睡眠不足会让人情绪波动，让学生上课难以集中注意力，还会引发其他健康问题