A Zócalo/UCLA Event
The digital age has brought us wonders—connecting instantly with friends and family on the other side of the world, the ability to order just about anything from anywhere, even new apps that limit your intake of calories and booze, and manage your allergies or diabetes. But the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets has also been blamed for a variety of different health problems, from obesity to sleep disorders. Can staring at music videos for hours at your iPad’s screen really give you myopia and hurt your hearing? Can being too connected to email leave you anxious and depressed? Can YouTube and digital games make you fat? What do we really know about the health risks of our digital technologies, and what can we do to mitigate them? UCLA Chancellor and biobehavioral scientist specializing in circadian rhythms Gene Block, health economist and Milken Institute Fellow Dr. Anusuya Chatterjee, and UCLA Children’s Digital Media Center director Patricia Greenfield visit Zócalo to discuss whether digital technology can do more harm than good to our health.
*Photo by Parinya Feungchan.
The Takeaway
Technology Doesn’t Ruin Health, People Do
If We Want to Think Clearly and Stay Fit, We Are the Ones Who Have to Unplug, Say UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and Other Researchers
As we hurtle with delight into a future where a wristwatch can tell us how many steps we’ve taken each day and a few taps on a screen can bring …