Healthy Computer Use: Best Practices For All Age Groups

It’s not true that computers themselves emit dangerous radiation and can cause epilepsy or miscarriages. It is true that our bad computer habits can be bad for health - and most of us have a few. It’s easy to ignore the guidelines on healthy computer use until something starts to hurt. Adults should be able to figure it out but children need to be actively introduced to healthy computer habits at a young age.

°              Probably the most common problem arising from computer use is bad posture. The rise in popularity of the laptop has exacerbated the problem.  Children in particular like to use their laptops while slumped on beds and sofas. Just because you can use your laptop on your lap doesn’t mean you should. Whenever possible use it on a table or desk.

°              Make sure your chair is the right height – especially for kids, whose musculo-skeletal system is still forming. To avoid eye (and neck) strain, the American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends looking down at the screen rather than up (again kids are more at risk of this). Ideally the screen should be 15-20 degrees (about 4 inches) below eye level and 20+ inches away.

°              Pains and strains caused by computer use are often called ‘repetitive strain injuries’. Rather than being caused by repetitions of the same movements, they too may sometimes be due to bad posture and poor workplace layout. The repetitive movement might not cause problems at all if the user is properly positioned.

°              If you are prone to repetitive strain injuries of the hand or wrist, one solution is to alternate using the touchpad and the mouse. A new option is speech recognition, which comes built in to Windows Vista operating system. Add a microphone and you can train the computer to recognise your voice. Almost all of the commands you ordinarily use can be implemented, including switching windows and opening programs. You can dictate and edit documents, scroll, save and do just about everything you need just by speaking.

°              A top worry is that computer screens are bad for the eyes. In fact they are not intrinsically dangerous and if problems result it’s more likely to be because your eyes are tired. It is important therefore to make sure that the screen brightness and contrast is properly adjusted, bearing in mind that it will need tweaking as the lighting conditions change. Alternatively, use a glare filter.

°              Take proper breaks to rest your eyes – at least 5 minutes an hour is recommended. The AOA suggests the ‘20-20’ rule – look away for at least twenty seconds every twenty minutes.

°              Because computers generate heat, contact lens users may experience problems and many of us blink less when concentrating hard. If you can’t remember to blink, buy sterile ‘false tears’ from your pharmacy. Working in an environment dried out by computers may also encourage skin rashes. If in doubt, invest in a humidifier.

°              For a bad night’s sleep, play computer games for extended periods just before bedtime. For a good night’s sleep, give yourself a break for at least half an hour before you climb under the duvet.

Probably the greatest computer threat to health is simply inactivity. With computers and the internet playing an ever-more important role in all aspects of our lives, the temptation to be more sedentary is growing. For adults this might mean lower levels of fitness and perhaps a heart attack on the horizon. For growing children, it is perhaps even more of a threat. When you take your five minute hourly break from staring at your screen do something active – or at the very least get a kiss of sunshine and a few gulps of fresh air.