10 Ways Netflix Can Be a Harmful Effect on Students
According to a recent study, 92% of college students have access to Netflix. Netflix has become a growing necessity, especially for college students. A lot of students have chosen Netflix to be their drug of choice. I think we can relate to going past bedtime just to watch one more episode. As a result, it has become a major addiction among students. They cannot get enough of binge-watching. Before taking a Netflix subscription, students need to realize that it is affecting their academic life and their health in a very wrong way. Students of all age groups nowadays have a Netflix account. With each day passing, the total number of hours spent on Netflix is increasing.
They are using all their free time into watching new web series. But it is having some of the most negative effects on students.
- Causes insomnia
Being addicted to Netflix can cause insomnia and it may badly affect your health. Students who use Netflix tend to sleep at odd hours and thus suffer from insomnia. Insomnia is the cause of many health issues. There is always new suspense thriller, romcoms, horror series on Netflix, and students get easily hooked to it one after the other. With so many contents airing every day, students start watching episodes after episodes in one sitting. Screen time replaces hours devoted to socializing, fitness and sleeping. If you are someone who is facing the following symptoms, you must be having chronic insomnia:
- Trouble with falling asleep
- Waking up too early
- Feeling drowsy during the day
- Feeling moody or depressed
- Facing trouble with concentrating
- Making more mistakes
- Bad academic outcomes
Binge-watching can interfere with a tight college schedule. It impacts the academic growth of students. Students start skipping classes, neglect exam preparations and avoid completing assignments on time. This way, motivation to study drops dramatically and it will not stop until one puts an end to the addiction. Availing essay help just because you have to keep up with good Netflix shows is not a good idea. Students start getting lower grades and thus, the grade for expulsion also increases.
Parents should make it a point to restrict Netflix usage or for that matter of any other streaming platform. Entertainment options need to be rationed and should come under family time. The best way to make use of this is to download movies, tv shows, games and music and hand it over to students in an offline setting (through a pen drive or hard drive). This ensures that once they have finished watching the same, there is no scope for binge-watching episodes. To know more about where you can download movies from, please visit this website.
- Reduce efficiency and interest in other activities
Students watching Netflix for more than 3 hour tend to stop taking an interest in social connections and other activities. They start investing more time in watching episodes and avoids going out. Instead of spending time on what genuinely interests them like painting, dancing, writing, they get hooked on Netflix shows and movies.
- Scarcity of time
As a college student, you will have a responsibility in a lot of things like cooking, cleaning, and washing. However, if you end up spending all your time on Netflix you will not get time to do anything. This way, you will not have time to cook for yourself and start ordering fast food from outside. It will affect your budget and also your diet. If you do not eat proper nutritious food, it will affect your health. Instead of spending money on buying food from outside or hiring a cook, you can use the money to hire online essay writers.
- Wasting your leisure time
You had always complained about having leisure time for yourself and now that you have, you spend all the time watching Netflix shows. Instead of spending your days’ binge-watching, why don’t you go out and spend some quality time with your friends and family? If you choose to spend your time on Netflix, you will regret losing all the time you could have spent in other ways.
- Causes weight gain
It is almost impossible to resist the urge to pig out favourite snacks or food while binge-watching on Netflix. It is necessary to keep track of whatever you are putting in your body or else you will end up getting ten pounds heavier every day. People tend to overeat while binge-watching on Netflix since they become too distracted. This is why students are suggested to take a break from binge-watching marathon when you are getting ready for a snack.
- It takes a toll on your eyes
Binge-watching for hours on Netflix without having acute pain of dry and burning eyes is impossible. Don’t be unnecessarily mean to your eyes. Taking a good night’s rest will be the ultimate cure for the dreaded Netflix eyes. Consider keeping the room softly lit and also consider taking short breaks between episodes to avoid putting strain on your eyes. Here are a few ways Netflix can affect your eyes:
- Headaches
- Sore neck or shoulders
- Dry and itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Blurred or double vision
- Anxiety and depression
According to professionals, Netflix is often the reason to escape from real-world problems. Students tend to use this to distract themselves from issues in life. As per a survey of 2000 people gathered from Patient.in in New York Post, students aged between 18 to 24 are most likely to feel depressed and get anxious after binge-watching. Cal Strode, Senior Media Officer for the Mental Health Foundation told the New York Post “When we’re feeling low we’re often drawn to things that can make us feel worse, such as unhealthy fast foods or long periods of inactivity binge-watching TV.” He even said, “Whether you’re struggling with feelings of emptiness, depression, or anxiety, reaching out to your doctor, a friend, or family member is a crucial first step on the road to recovery.”
- Damages your skin
As recommended by Dr. Justine Hextall, a dermatologist with The Harley Medical Group, binge-watching on Netflix can cause damage to the skin like premature aging. If you indulge yourself in “Netflix and chill”, your skin will be aging faster than usual. The high energy from your phone will accelerate collagen breakdown which will cause wrinkles, lines, and even sagging skin. Do consider taking a break if you do not want to damage your skin severely.
- Inability to focus on studies
Constantly spending your time on Netflix shows and movies will lead you to lose focus on your studies. During exam preparation, the characters and the stories will occupy your brain, leaving you repeating the same line over and over again. They fail to concentrate on their lessons and thus end up taking more time.
Wrapping up,
I am not asking you to stop binge-watching on Netflix, but only asking you to limit your watching so that it does not take over your life. You do not need to always catch on to the latest shows. It will not go anywhere if you do not watch it then only. You can just spread out the season over several days. Do not let Netflix control your life and become your addiction. If you do not want to cause permanent damage to your health, it is high time that you limit the time period of watching Netflix.