Back to School Digital Wellness
With the summer holidays drawing to a close, many parents and students are turning their minds to the return to school in early September. In addition to new, polished shoes, smart uniform and stationery, many secondary school children will also be returning to the classroom with a laptop or other BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).
Increased Technology Use
Technology and screens are playing an increasing role in the school lives of both senior and primary school-aged children. Smartboards, iPads and laptops are now a standard feature in classrooms up and down the country and high-speed Wi-Fi is an essential part of school infrastructure. Most homework is now completed online and, at the end of the day, when the learning is done, most of our children will chat to friends online, scroll social media, game or watch television. To be in front of a screen for a large part of the day is increasingly the norm for our young people.
With the change in the learning and social landscape comes an inevitable increase in exposure of our young people to radio frequencies (EMR) from Wi-Fi and devices, as well as artificial blue light from screens. This relentless exposure is nothing like our bodies have seen before and may have adverse effects on the health of our children. Studies have shown that a developing child’s brain is vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation and there are also studies showing a link between EMR exposure and fertility problems.
The effects of blue light on our eyes, skin and sleep have also been widely studied and the warnings to reduce exposure to excessive artificial blue light from screens is clear.
Digital Wellness and Children
It is often difficult to raise the conversation about digital wellness with our children. However, the return to school is a great time for a habit reset and a perfect time to discuss responsible and safe technology use, with the aim of reducing their exposure to both EMR and artificial blue light. With a few small habit changes we can reduce any harmful effects that might be caused by technology in the classroom and at home.
5 Tips for Reducing EMR & Blue Light Exposure from Devices
1. Keep mobile phones, tablets and laptops away from your body
Distance is a key factor in reducing exposure to EMR and should be the first line of defence. EMR abides by the rules of the Inverse Square Law of Physics. In a nutshell, this law states that, as we double our distance from a source of EMR, such as a phone or laptop, we quarter our exposure to it. So, any distance you can achieve from your device will dramatically reduce your exposure.
Limit the amount of time you spend talking on the phone with it held up to your ear, and opt to use the speaker function or text instead. You can even use a touch screen pen to reduce your EMR exposure even further.
For those times when distance is not possible, it is worth considering an EMR protection pouch or case. Here at Grounded Wellness, we have a wide range of EMR protection solutions available for iPhones, Samsung phones, Universal phone cases, tablets and laptops. If you need help to match your phone with the perfect fit, we've put together a helpful Phone Fit Cheat Sheet to help get you on your way.
Check out the WavePro EMF Protection Case for Laptops for a stylish and protective accessory for school.
2. Ditch the bluetooth
As on-trend and convenient as wireless headsets and earbuds might be, they are a very high emitter of EMR, as they use bluetooth to connect the device to the headset.
As most schools now request that children bring in their own headset, consider replacing bluetooth headsets, and even traditional wired headsets, with EMR-free AirTube headsets.
AirTube headsets work by transmitting the sound from the device to your ear via a hollow tube of air, which essentially creates the all-important distance between your head, ear and brain and the source of EMR. This is all without affecting the quality of sound.
Discover more about AirTube headsets here.
3. Make the most of airplane mode
Airplane mode is not just for airplanes!
Using the airplane mode function is a safer way to use your devices. If you don't need WiFi or data connectivity, switch the WiFi function off, and the device to airplane mode, whenever possible to cut all signal connectivity and therefore dramatically reduce the level of EMR emitted from the device.
It is usually still possible to watch downloaded videos and play downloaded games in airplane mode. Watching a downloaded video rather than watching a streamed video is a particularly important habit to teach children.
4. Filter out the blue light
All digital screens emit blue light. While blue light found naturally in sunlight as part of the full light spectrum can be beneficial, artificial blue light, emitted from screens, is not part of the full light spectrum and studies have shown it can have a harmful effect on our eye health. This includes damage to the cornea, crystal lens and retina and could even lead to premature macular degeneration.
Thankfully it is easier to filter our a significant degree of the most harmful blue light wavelengths with screen filters for our devices and blue light filtering lenses in glasses. These blue light solutions can reduce blue light reaching the retina. Grounded Wellness has a range of blue light filtering glasses designed especially for kids.
We also recommend choosing your light sources wisely. Opt for healthy light bulbs, and lamps in your home and work environment that will reduce the amount of artificial blue light in your home environment.
5. Keep the bedroom clear of devices
Sleep is fundamental to our overall health, and bedtime is a time for rest and rejuvenation, particularly for the developing bodies and brains of our young family. Creating a tech-free zone in bedrooms not only removes the EMFs, it also removes the temptation for digital distraction, allowing the mind, body and soul some downtime.
Studies have shown that exposure to artificial blue light at night disrupts our circadian rhythm and suppresses the production of the 'sleep hormone' melatonin. Exposure to blue light at night tells our body that it is still daytime and melatonin is not produced. This makes it more difficult for us to fall asleep and stay asleep and is a major factor in the sleep problems we are seeing in our children and teenagers.
We also recommend checking out our range of blue light-free healthy lighting, including blue light-free bedside lamps and book lights, to help with reducing blue light exposure at night.
Shop the Back to School Essentials range to start the school year off the right way!
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