Tired, strained eyes and migraines are not the only side effects from using technology too often during the last two decades.

“Having prolonged screen time promotes inactivity,” Nurse Michelle Bradford of Saint John’s Hospital said. “And by being inactive, a consequence is weight gain, obesity and other illnesses.”

The typical teenager spends more than 50 hours a week in front of a television, computer or cell phone screen, which is around seven hours per day, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Because they also spend time media multitasking, teenagers manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes into those seven hours.

“Obesity is a growing public health concern today,” said Michael Smith, correspondent for MedPage Today. “Sedidtary behaviors, such as television watching and computer games, could influence weight gain, especially in females.”

With too much screen time being used, health problems such as bad posture, poor eyesight and lack of sleep arise, according to the joint initiative of the New South Wales (NSW) Department of health, NSW Department of Education and communities and the Heart Foundation.

“Research has shown that lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain,” Health teacher Valerie Schneider said. “There have been other researches that say an active body will lead to an active mind.”

Staying up late to watch television is inactive and can lead to chronic sleep deprivation, which can have a negative effect on grades.

“I’ll say I will do my homework in an hour, but then I will end up doing in two hours later because I was watching television instead,” sophomore Julia Palazzolo said.

Television anesthetizes higher brain functions and disrupts the balance of interaction between the left and right hemispheres, according to Dr. Jane Healy, author of “Endangered Minds: Jane Healy.”

Sitting at a computer isolates people from others and verbal skills are reduced. Face-to-face contact is less frequent among teens and they lack the ability to read body language, according to a study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

“Teenagers need more interaction that doesn’t allow screen time,”Hallam said. “Teenagers need things that omit it.”

To limit screen time, do not use smart phones as alarm clocks, ban digital devices from the dinner table and create an “electronic media free” environment in bedrooms, according to American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP).

“Children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day and that should be high-quality content,” according to a study from AAP.