What are the bad things about touch screens?

Introduction​

Touch screens have become ubiquitous in modern life, powering smartphones, tablets, laptops, and public devices. While they offer intuitive interaction, their design and usage patterns come with significant drawbacks that often go overlooked. From physical strain to functional limitations, these issues affect users of all ages and contexts.​

1. Health Risks: Musculoskeletal and Ocular Strain​

Musculoskeletal Damage​

Touch screen interaction relies on repetitive, fine motor movements—often with awkward hand postures. Holding a smartphone for hours causes repetitive strain injury (RSI) in fingers, wrists, and forearms. A 2023 study in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that 38% of heavy touch screen users reported chronic wrist pain, linked to tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Children are particularly vulnerable: their developing joints and muscles are strained by gripping small devices or stretching fingers to reach screen edges (a common issue with large smartphones).​

Additionally, "text neck"—neck and shoulder pain from hunching over touch screens—affects 70% of adults under 40, according to the American Chiropractic Association. This posture compresses spinal discs, leading to long-term degenerative changes.​

Ocular Harm​

Staring at touch screens exacerbates digital eye strain (DES), characterized by dryness, blurred vision, and headaches. Touch screens emit high levels of blue light, which penetrates the eye’s retina and disrupts circadian rhythms—leading to insomnia. Unlike traditional displays, touch screens often reflect ambient light, forcing users to squint or strain their eyes to see content. A 2022 survey by the Vision Council found that 65% of touch screen users experience DES symptoms after just two hours of daily use.​

2. Limited Precision and Tactile Feedback​

Touch screens lack the physical tactile cues of buttons or keyboards, leading to reduced accuracy and efficiency:​

• Typing Errors: Virtual keyboards offer no tactile feedback (e.g., the "click" of a physical key), increasing typos by 25–30% compared to physical keyboards (Harvard Business Review, 2021). This is frustrating for professional work (e.g., writing emails, coding) and risky for critical tasks (e.g., entering medical data or financial information).​

• Fine Motor Limitations: Tasks requiring precision—such as drawing, graphic design, or editing documents—are cumbersome on touch screens. Artists often struggle with lag and imprecise cursor control, while users with motor disabilities (e.g., arthritis) find small touch targets (e.g., app icons, dropdown menus) nearly impossible to select.​

• Cognitive Overload: Without tactile confirmation, users must rely solely on visual feedback to verify actions (e.g., ensuring a button was pressed). This increases mental effort, leading to fatigue during long sessions.​

3. Durability and Maintenance Issues​

Touch screens are inherently fragile, with several costly drawbacks:​

• Vulnerability to Damage: Most touch screens use glass (e.g., Gorilla Glass), which scratches easily from keys, coins, or sand. Drops or impacts often result in cracked screens—repair costs can exceed $300 for high-end smartphones, and replacements may reduce device performance (e.g., reduced touch sensitivity).​

• Wear and Tear: Over time, touch sensors degrade, leading to unresponsive areas or "ghost touches" (unintended inputs). This is especially common in devices used frequently (e.g., POS systems, public kiosks) or exposed to dust/water.​

• Protective Barriers: Screen protectors and cases—essential for durability—reduce touch sensitivity and clarity. Matte protectors, for example, dim displays, while thick cases can make edge-to-edge touch targets inaccessible.​

4. Environmental and Usability Limitations​

Touch screens perform poorly in extreme or challenging environments:​

• Weather Sensitivity: Rain, humidity, or sweat disrupts touch responsiveness—water droplets create false inputs or block sensor detection. Users often struggle to use phones in rainstorms or during workouts.​

• Temperature Extremes: In cold weather (below 10°C), touch screens slow down or stop working entirely, as the liquid crystals in displays and capacitive sensors lose responsiveness. In hot weather, screens overheat, leading to lag or permanent damage.​

• Gloves and Accessibility: Capacitive touch screens require skin contact to work, making them unusable with regular gloves. While "touchscreen gloves" exist, they are often expensive or ineffective. This excludes users in cold climates or those with mobility issues who rely on gloves for grip.​

5. Privacy and Accidental Operation Risks​

Privacy Vulnerabilities​

Touch screens leave visible fingerprint smudges that reveal usage patterns. Hackers or snoopers can analyze these smudges to guess passwords, app usage, or sensitive inputs (e.g., PINs). A 2020 study by the University of California, Berkeley, demonstrated that fingerprint smudges could be used to unlock 40% of smartphones within 10 minutes.​

Accidental Inputs​

Touch screens are prone to unintended actions:​

• Pocket Dialing/Messaging: Screens often activate in pockets or bags, leading to accidental calls, texts, or purchases. This is a common complaint with edge-to-edge displays that lack physical home buttons.​

• Crowded Environments: In buses, trains, or crowds, accidental touches (e.g., brushing against the screen) can delete messages, navigate away from important pages, or trigger in-app purchases.​

• Children’s Misuse: Young children often press multiple buttons at once, leading to deleted files, changed settings, or unauthorized purchases. Parental controls mitigate this but are not foolproof.​

Conclusion​

While touch screens offer convenience, their drawbacks—from health risks to usability limitations—cannot be ignored. Users can mitigate these issues by taking regular breaks, using ergonomic holders, investing in protective gear, and adjusting screen settings. However, manufacturers must also innovate: improving tactile feedback, enhancing durability, and designing for diverse environments and user needs. As touch screens continue to dominate our lives, balancing their benefits with solutions to their flaws will be crucial for long-term user well-being and functionality.