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Topics: Gen Z, Health, Mental Health, Social Media, Technology
Ben Williams
Topics: Gen Z, Health, Mental Health, Social Media, Technology
A new list focusing on the online habits of both Millennials and Gen Z users has highlighted those that are detrimental to health in the long term.
Health warnings can usually focus on the obvious things, like not sleeping enough or simply a bad diet, but some of the habits now being linked to physical and mental strain are much easier to miss; that’s because they’ve become part of everyday routines.
For instance, those for younger adults stem from everyday, starting with the use of their phone: becoming inundated with Messages, videos, notifications, and altogether constant updates from the get-go.
When it comes to specific habits, however, there are some you might not have even noticed you were doing until now.
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Shared by Pubity on Instagram, the list has now highlighted several Gen Z and millennial habits it claims are ‘destroying your body over time’.
One of the first habits named is bedrotting, which refers to spending entire days in bed while awake, scrolling, eating, and watching content.
According to the post, this can disrupt the brain’s association between bed and sleep. It also claims that extended time in bed can increase anxiety and inflammation, while sleep experts, including Kelly Baron, warn that it can contribute to insomnia.
The list also includes parasocial substitution, where real-life relationships are replaced by one-sided online connections.
This can involve feeling close to influencers, streamers, celebrities, or online personalities without having a mutual relationship with them. The post claims it can create the illusion of social fulfilment, while increasing loneliness rather than reducing it.
Notification brain is another habit named on the list.
This describes living in a constant state of waiting for the next alert, message, or update. According to the post, it can prevent the nervous system from fully relaxing. It also cites research from the University of California, Irvine, which found it takes around 23 minutes to regain deep focus after one interruption.
Tech neck is also singled out as a physical consequence of phone use.
The post claims that constantly looking down at a phone can shift the load on the spine from around 5kg to as much as 27kg. Over time, it says this can affect posture, with the damage building slowly enough that many people may not notice it for years.
Phubbing also appears on the list, referring to the habit of ignoring someone in front of you to check your phone.
The post also points to research in Computers in Human Behaviour, which found that the behaviour can lower relationship satisfaction and increase feelings of exclusion.
Doomscrolling, where someone continuously consumes negative news or distressing content, is another habit included.
Because the brain is wired to prioritise threats, it can become difficult to switch off once someone starts scrolling. It also cites a 2020 Health Communication study linking high news consumption to increased stress, anxiety, and physical health issues.
Next, dinescreen is used to describe eating meals in front of a screen. This habit can stop the brain from fully registering the eating experience, which may lead to increased consumption because the memory of eating is weakened.
The final habit on the list is revenge bedtime procrastination: referring to staying up late to feel a sense of control over the day, even when exhausted. While it may feel like taking time back at night, it takes away from the hours the body needs to rest and repair.