Tiervermittlung Deutschland » Australians are spending

CANBERRA， Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Australians are spending more time in front of television， computer and cell phone screens than they are with their families and loved ones， a new study has found.


Respondents to the survey， conducted by Australian charity "R U OK? " said they spent， on average， 46 hours per week looking at a screen， but just six hours socializing with family and friends.


Rachel Clements， clinical psychologist from the suicide prevention charity said the trend could be damaging to not only personal relationships， but to one's self-esteem as well.


"It definitely has an impact on mental health， in terms of low mood， ability to get through difficult situations， having someone to talk to， to debrief with，" Clements told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday.


"Those types of relationships， if they're strong and they're around us， they're big protective factors in keeping us well."