When COVID hit and the world shut down, screens basically became our lifeline. Work, school, news, Netflix, Zoom hangouts – everything happened through a screen. But did that actually help us cope, or just stress us out even more?
Researchers launched an online survey called “What media helps, what media hurts?” to see how people’s screen habits changed during lockdown and how it tied into their stress levels.
The study found:
- Men tended to feel less strongly about whether media was good or bad.
- People with good mental health were better at tuning out the noise.
- But too much screen time still took a toll on everyone, no matter what.
So yeah — next time you find yourself on your 6th straight episode or deep in a TikTok rabbit hole, maybe hit pause. Your brain might need a break, even if you don’t realize it yet.
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Screens Helped Us Survive COVID—But They Also Changed Us
When COVID hit and everything shut down, screens became the center of our lives. Classes, work meetings, friendships, entertainment—every part of daily life was squeezed onto a laptop or phone. But did all that screen time help us cope, or did it secretly make things harder?
A recent survey titled “What media helps, what media hurts?” explored how people used screens during lockdown and how it affected their mental health. The results were surprisingly mixed:
Men felt less strongly about whether digital media was helping or hurting them.
People with better mental health were more able to tune out stressful content.
But here’s the big takeaway: too much screen time affected everyone, no matter their background.
During lockdown, screens kept us connected—but they also kept us overstimulated. Constant news updates, endless TikTok scrolling, and back-to-back video calls blurred the line between “staying informed” and “feeling overwhelmed.”
So if you catch yourself binge-watching your 6th episode or falling down yet another TikTok rabbit hole, it’s worth taking a moment to check in with yourself. Sometimes your brain needs a break—even when you convince yourself you’re fine.
Screens helped us survive a global crisis, but balance is what helps us stay healthy beyond it.
Author: Wang Chu