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Can screen time make children depressed? It may depend how long they watch, study says

Charlotte Observer - 12/28/2021

Too many screens for too long could be linked to mental health symptoms in children, a new study from Canada found. After examining children who played video games, watched TV and engaged in electronic learning, researchers concluded that less could be more when it comes to virtual entertainment.

But what kind of digital disport could be harmful, and how long should children be on screens? Asking questions about screen time and pursuing ways to navigate an electronic-oriented childhood could be the first step to building future policies to ensure kids have healthy lifestyles while still using screens, the study, published Dec. 28 in the JAMA Network Open, said.

“Understanding the association of different types of screen use with child and youth mental health may help inform the development of policies and interventions to promote healthful screen use and mental health in children and youth during the pandemic and beyond,” the study said.

It also examined if different types of screen use had different impacts on children’s mental health, including TV, video games, electronic learning and video chatting.

The study consisted of 2,026 children and had four different groups, or cohorts, from which to draw results.

The applied research group for children was a practice based, primary care research network for children ages 0-5. The population based sample researched children ages 6-18 years who were recruited at the Ontario Science Center. The outpatient evaluation research examined children from ages 6-8 for mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety and hyperactivity. The last cohort was through the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorder Network, which sampled children receiving care at outpatient clinics with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Researchers also considered race, socioeconomic status, sex and parents’ mental health status as factors in the study.

Parents reported children’s daily TV and digital media time, video game engagement as well as electronic learning and video chatting hours. Parents also reported child and youth mental health symptom scales, and the study concluded that the primary outcomes in all four cohorts were depression and anxiety.

“The secondary outcomes were conduct problems, irritability, hyperactivity, and inattention,” the study added.

In the younger children cohort, the study found that for every additional hour per day that children watched TV or digital media was associated with a higher score of irritability, hyperactivity and inattention.

In older children, the study reported that higher TV or digital media time per day was associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Higher levels of video game time were also associated with higher depression symptoms, although there was not enough evidence to link higher video game playing time and irritability, inattention and hyperactivity.

Depression rates were higher among children who spent more time learning online and video chatting daily, too.

“This cohort study confirms high levels of screen use among Canadian children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, with levels above the recommendations,” the study found. “Furthermore, our study demonstrated that greater screen use was associated with higher levels of mental health symptoms in children and youth during the pandemic, consistent with evidence from pre-COVID literature.”

So, how much screen time is too much screen time?

The study refers to the American Academy of Pediatrics and Canadian Pediatric Society guidelines, which recommend that children and youth do not have more screen time than one to two hours per day. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry offer a series of standards for parents to set if they are questioning how much screen time to allow in the household, or want to come up with a plan:

Other issues may stem from too much screen time aside from depression and anxiety, previous studies indicate. One study examined over 11,000 U.S. children and found that those using phones, tablets or watching television for longer amounts of time were more likely to develop eating disorders.

Another study indicated that online learning could strain children’s eyes and cause permanent damage in the future, adding to the research conducted on physical and mental health of children within the modern-day era of screens.

“Our findings may help inform public health guidelines that consider different forms of screen use in prevention of mental health disorders in children and youth during the pandemic,” the recent Canadian study stated. “With supports from policy makers, schools and teachers, families, and health care professionals, children and youth will be better positioned to reduce screen use and promote mental health during the pandemic and beyond.”

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