Digital Overload & Mental Health in Expats

Electronics have become an essential product in our daily lives. With different social media platforms (ex., TikTok), becoming widely popularized across a range of age groups, society has found themselves dependent on ce

ll phone usage. From researching a complex food recipe to texting your friends or simply asking ChatGPT how to ask someone out, a digitalized lifestyle is widespread across the world. Moreover, because of excessive usage, one could ponder the effects of digital overload and how it is conditioning us negatively. 

The term “digital overload” can be described as the occurrence of constant electronics/media use, which over time can affect your emotional regulation, sleep, and focus, and also inadvertently lead to anxiety and depression. ( Prasad, A. Quinones, A., 2020 ). The persistent use of cell phones can be an effect of many factors, such as academic stress, marital issues, or using social media as an outlet for any obstacle. Within this blog, we will explain how this could be affecting you and what you can do to limit and set boundaries within your screen time.

Emotional Regulation 

Emotional Regulation is the capability to control one's emotions voluntarily and involuntarily. Research shows that excessive use of devices can severely affect one's positive and negative emotions. Too much digital time on streaming services and gaming can lead to addictive traits and heightened emotions (Jarar, S. P., & Salim, R. M. A. ,2024). Additionally, it can severely impair your impulse control, and removing it at a spontaneous time can result in withdrawal. 

Sleep 

Sleep is extremely key to many aspects of our lives. Screentime can be deleterious to your sleep health and quality (Jarar, S. P., & Salim, R. M. A., 2024).  While the healthy amount of sleep can vary by age, the suggested amount is usually 7 + hours or more. Moreover, your sleep can be negatively impacted by the severity of the screentime you endure.  Research shows that the light emitted from our cellular devices can obstruct the creation of melatonin. Melatonin is a crucial element to sleep regulation because it helps maintain he body's natural sleep-wake cycle. Its disruption can lead to insomnia, morning exhaustion, and trouble sleeping (Jarar, S. P., & Salim, R. M. A. , 2024).

Focus 

Emotions play a major part in determining your focus level on numerous tasks, whether academically or socially. Certain emotions (ex., stress, anxiety) can disrupt concentration, which can make certain duties more challenging. Digital overload coincides with this because it overwhelms your brain, making it harder to focus and causing emotional imbalances. While the effects over time may vary, it is evident that those who indulge in too much screentime may lose focus quickly. Because our brain is designed to focus on one thing at a time, when we switch between various tasks and tabs, we slow down and lose focus. 

Excessive screen time can harm day-to-day life; however, there are preventative and postvention measures you can take to limit the lasting effects. 

1. Firstly, setting digital boundaries can help you maintain focus. (The State of Queensland. Department of Education, 2025.). Turning off your notifications helps prevent distractions from silly family and friends texts. Most of the time, these texts aren't as urgent as they may seem, so silencing your phone can help you better focus on your current task. Another idea for setting boundaries is to establish screen time limits. Apple users have the advantage of using a feature that prevents excessive device usage on their iPads and iPhones. With this feature, you can measure how much time you spend on your Apple devices and set device reminders that prevent you from using them. 

   
   

2. Secondly, setting scheduled screen breaks is key. During these breaks, indulging in activities such as reading, walking, or various other hobbies that healthily stimulate your brain is great! 

   
   

3. Lastly, unplugging before bed stops your device from interfering with your sleep. Turning off your device beforehand stops the blue light being constantly emitted by our devices from reducing your melatonin production, making it harder to sleep (The State of Queensland, Department of Education, 2025.)

With digital overload becoming increasingly more woven into our lives, it is crucial to recognize the signs of overload and begin to set boundaries to stop its effects. The goal is not to reject technology, but to use it in a sense that does not exhaust our minds. 

Sources 

Dutta, A., & Goswami, A. L. (2023). Media and Mental Health: Examining the impact of Information Overload during COVID-19 and Creating awareness on fake information through the ‘CheckTheFake campaign of ARMT.

Jarar, S. P., & Salim, R. M. A. (2024). A REVIEW OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE DIGITAL AGE AND EXCESSIVE CURRICULUM ON EMOTION. Journal Transformation Of Knowledge, 2(02).’’

Khairati, A., Ifdil, I., Zulfi, N. A. W., Annisa, D. F., & Putri, Y. E. (2025). Digital Overload: Understanding Social Media Fatigue in Higher Education Based on Demographics and Technology Usage . Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.25217/0020258654200

Prasad, A., Quinones, A. (2020). Digital Overload Warnings - “The Right Amount of Shame”?. In: Kurosu, M. (eds) Human-Computer Interaction. Human Values and Quality of Life. HCII 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12183. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49065-2_9

The State of Queensland (Department of Education). (2025, August 1). Handling digital overload. Queensland Academies Creative Industries. https://qaci.eq.edu.au/calendar-and-news/news/handling-digital-overload