The description of mouse potato became popular in nineteen-ninety-three.
American writer Alice Kahn is said to have invented the term to describe young people who spend a lot of time using computers.
Too much time inside the house using a computer or watching television can cause someone to get "cabin fever."
A cabin is a simple house usually built far away from the city. People go to a cabin to relax and enjoy quiet time.
Cabin fever is not really a disease. However, people can experience boredom and restlessness if they spend too much time inside their homes.
This is especially true during the winter when it is too cold or snowy to do things outside.
Often children get cabin fever if they cannot go outside to play. So do their parents.
This happens when there is so much snow that schools and even offices and stores are closed.
