> I don't think a lot of people dispute that more screen time is harmful. Not in itself, but usually because that screen time is spent on social media or platfo

> I don't think a lot of people dispute that more screen time is harmful. Not in itself, but usually because that screen time is spent on social media or platforms like YouTube. It's both. A poor information diet is harmful of course, but so is screen use in general. Screen use is a sedentary activity which damages your body. At least at work we get compensated for the damage, like a construction worker who gets compensated for wearing out his body with hard labor. The programmer pay is better and the damage more manageable, but it's still not harmless. Too much time in front of a screen will atrophy your muscles and slow your metabolism. You can offset this damage by getting a gym membership, an active hobby, etc. But kids have trouble finding a healthy balance (not least because so many screen-activities are designed to be addictive) and that's why screen time limits are useful.