The hot button topic I chose is the impact of excessive screen time.
This is a hot button topic because screen time is getting longer and
viewed as normal more and more everyday. This topic is important to
me because I have three children in three different age groups that
sometimes struggle with excessive screen time. My seventeen year
old has his phone in his hand constantly and it is completely normal
for him and his peers. My nine year old would waste days away
staring at a screen if I let her. She gets frustrated most of the time
when I limit her screen time. My three year old looks up to the older
two so she also enjoys screen time. My husband and I can even get
caught up in our phones from time to time.
This topic effects individuals in a few different ways. Excessive
screen time can contribute to an individual avoiding physical activity,
isolating, and getting distracted from other important tasks. Screen
time has benefits too, it is not bad as a whole. When the time an
individual spends staring at a screen becomes excessive many
problems arise. This topic has an effect on society as well. Obesity in
this country is at an all time high. Laziness, lack of motivation, and
distractions all contribute to this. Excessive screen time has become
normal. When most of society is staring at their phones, posting on
social media, and watching entertaining videos, they are not engaging
in physical activity. All of these things can lead to lower self-esteem
and even depression.
This hot button topic applies to the programmatic theme of emotional
intelligence. The presence of excessive screen time can cause the
absence of face to face human interaction. Emotional intelligence can
be lowered by this. It is also emotional intelligence that is a
psychological concept I would use to understand this issue. Emotional
intelligence consists of self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills,
empathy, and motivation. All of these categories can be used to
understand the impact of excessive screen time
