The cliche, ‘your eyes will go square’ rings true in lockdown. So writes winner of the 2021 UNSW Bragg Student Prize for Science Writing winner, St John Bosco student Emilia Danne.

In her response to the 2021 theme The STEM in Everyday Life, Year 8 student Emilia explores how online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our health.

“I feel extremely humbled to have won the UNSW Bragg Science Writing competition,” Emilia said.

“I was ecstatic when I found out I was chosen from all of the incredible entries from across Australia.

“We rely heavily on our devices every day, but not everyone knows about what blue light is and what it does.

“I hope that my essay can shine the light on the importance of sleep and how our devices are affecting this.”

Read Emilia’s full essay below.

THE DARK SIDE OF BLUE LIGHT

Online learning. 

There are two words that strike fear into the lives of parents and caregivers, making them stop dead in their tracks. These two simple words paint a clear picture of utter chaos – online learning. 

Sugar-powered siblings and printer problems make home the least ideal place for education. With so much going on in such a small, enclosed domain, it’s easy to forget for how long someone has been staring at a screen. 

I looked at my average screen time a few weeks ago, only to find that I was at a new, all-time high of eight hours! 

Along with millions of other high school children, I’m now spending as much time on a screen as I am sleeping. 

The cliche, ‘your eyes will go square’ rings true in lockdown. 

Growing up surrounded by technology has allowed the current generation to take full …