Our society has been bombarded with advertisements about how “touch screens” and “toy screen monitors” are wonderful inventions that will help us save time, money, effort while simultaneously making us less stressed out. I have a confession to make: I love to watch TV, especially during the news, but it seems that the touch screen hype is not all that I can take. Let me explain. In an earlier article, I wrote about how I felt a little overwhelmed by the constant barrage of information that we receive through the modern day. While it is definitely beneficial to absorb this information, I often feel that it is way over the top and that I am missing something important.
The information overload that I was facing was directly related to the rapid rise of cell phone use. As I looked around me, it seemed like all of the major electronics were made with “touch screens” or had the “toy-screen” technology built in. This meant that I had to continuously reach out my arm or leg to operate the on-screen buttons and functions. Add to this the constantly shifting colors on the television screens and it wasn’t long before my eyes started to burn and my attention span was severely limited.
It’s easy to see the benefits of touch screens when you have one at home. However, they are definitely not the best invention since sliced bread. First, I began to lose the ability to see in the same area where I could see a thousand feet ahead of me. If I was to ever reach down to change a channel again, I would have to lay my hands on the on screen. This would not have been any great deal if I could have seen just a few channels, but since my local channels consisted of reruns of shows that I had already watched several times, I was literally surrounded by TV paraphernalia.
Are touch screens bad for your health? Before I begin to answer that question, I would like to point out a couple of obvious reasons as to why one might be considering purchasing one. One obvious reason is the age of the individual. Touch screens give the illusion of a much younger person, which is one reason many people will purchase them for the elderly.
Another question to ask yourself as to why you would be concerned about the question, “Why are touch screens bad for your health?” is whether or not you’ve used an LCD flat panel monitor before. While some older models may not contain a very responsive screen, there are many newer generation flat panels that are extremely responsive. These models may not be as friendly to the elderly as some others, but they are certainly better than regular CRTs or projectors.
Before you make any sort of decision on the matter, it is important that you consult with a medical professional. He or she can inform you of whether or not the use of a touch screen is actually harmful. The bottom line is, it all depends on how you use it. If you never interact with the screen, then there is no harm done – but if you are constantly touching and pressing various buttons, then it could be a serious problem.