During the twenty first century, there have been many huge advancements in technology, from face-scanning phones to virtual reality game consoles. Another big development has been the live-streaming industry.

Many new entertainers, called streamers, have become very popular by live-streaming on websites like Twitch and YouTube. These “streamers” are everyday people who play video games live to an audience of people watching, and can comment on the streamer’s performance and/or donate to help support the streamer. This new form of entertainment has caught on in a major way. Streaming may become the new form of major entertainment and possibly overtake big entertainment companies such as the NFL and NBA.

Many students at Triton High School are fans of this new business, and have a preference for which website they watch more often.

“Sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time can definitely lead to health problems over time.  Vision strain is among the most common effect and it has been recommended that students take a break, even if it is just looking away from the screen after every 20 minutes of screen time to give your eyes a break,”  Explained Mrs. Goldsmith, Triton’s school nurse.  

When asked what his favorite streaming platform is to watch, junior Josh Lind said “Twitch since it has the best quality, stability, and the most appealing graphics.”

On both Twitch and YouTube, you can find all types of video games being streamed, from RPG’s (Role playing games) to FPS’s (First person shooters).

“My favorite game to watch is Fortnite because it is interesting and engaging,” said Lind.

While some students may not watch live-streams that often, others tend to spend most of their days watching it. Junior Jeremy Duford said that he watches live-streams “every other day.”

There are many different personalities to streamers, from the loud, comedic ones, to the calm, laid-back ones. Different people may watch a certain streamer based off of their personality. Duford said that his favorite streamer is “Tyler1 because he’s hilarious and I love to watch him scream.”

Another student who watches enjoys watching streams is Conrad Jankowski who is currently a freshman at Umass-Lowell.   

“I like Twitch, I think it’s a lot better, but I try not to spend too much time on it since I know it can be distracting.”  Jankowski stated.  

Although many students enjoy spending time watching streams many medical professionals believe that too much time in front of a screen can have negative impact on their behavior and growth.

Another issue brought up by family doctor Michael Carmichael was the potential long amounts of screen time watching certain types of streams or videos can also lead to a change in behavior.  

“Watching violent media is known to be associated with children behaving inappropriately, copying the behavior they view(from the streams in this case) and becoming aggressive adults.”

Most streams are not terribly violent but many streams do swear and it can rub off on young audiences making for a more aggressive attitude.  This can be issue to a young generation growing up with technology all around them.

Dr.Carmichael and Mrs.Goldsmith both suggest  that students spending long times typically three to six hours in front of screens take breaks, and time themselves.

“In my opinion a couple of hours a day is more than enough screen time for our students.   It is also very important to take breaks to rest your eyes and stretch every 30 minute to prevent any negative effects of too much screen time,”  Said Mrs.Goldsmith

    Dr.Carmichael also agreed with this and stated that it is important to limit time but also stay away from technology when doing homework since it presents a distraction.

“Avoid doing homework in front of a screen and put cell phones away when homework.”

Dr.Carmichael also believes technology can be a big threat to our generation and we must use it wisely.

“Simply put, this is the largest threat to the current generation because increasingly more complex technology has resulted  in a vast array of ways in which children are exposed to screen time.

Twitch and Youtube have been able to turn streaming into a multiple billion dollar operating with lots of room to grow in terms of making more money and becoming more mainstream.  But with great power and technology comes great responsibility to use it wisely and not abuse it.  Only time will tell how these new innovations will affect us all.