Would the continuous retraction of the lense of any digital camera shorten it's life span?

It shouldn't be doing that and if you take a lot of photos it will eventually were the gears of the lens out or burn the motor out. Id call or go on line to the manufacturer. If its still under warrenty,id want it fixed . If its not new perhaps its a glitch that they can ist you with it or tell you if it's worth fixing. Good Luck.