You May Be Harming Your Child’s Mental Health
By Movieguide® Contributor
A study tracking around 10,000 9- and 10-year-olds has revealed the negative effects of screen time.
Conducted by the University of California San Francisco and Dr. Jason Nagata, the study began in 2016 and followed the children’s “daily screen time and their rate of diagnoses for conduct disorders, depression, ADHD and other mental health issues.”
Although no phenomenal changes were observed, subtle increases that the study did pick up on are still cause for concern.
For example, “Higher total screen time was associated with all mental health symptoms,” the researchers reported.
Kids with the highest levels of daily time spent staring at screens had 10% higher odds for depression, a 7% higher risk for conduct issues, and a 6% higher risk for ADHD, compared to children with lower rates of screen use.”
“The specific screen types with the greatest associations with depressive symptoms included video chat, texting, videos and video games,” Nagata and colleagues noted.
Movieguide® previously reported the possible link between autism and screen time in children:
In one study published in 2022, it was found that longer screen time in boys at one year of age was significantly associated with autism spectrum disorder at three years of age,’ The Quint wrote. ‘ASD arises from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors and while excessive screen time may influence behavior and development, it is not identified as a causative factor for autism,’ believes Dr. Fabian Almeida, consultant psychiatrist.
The Greater Good Magazine from Berkeley noted three specific risks for teens who have excessive screen time. “More screen time means more time alone,” they stated. The isolation that comes from being overly focused on screens can cause feelings of sadness and loneliness. “A surprising 48 percent more girls and 27 percent more boys felt left out in 2015 compared to 2010,” they reported. “Social media and materialism go hand in hand,” was the next point mentioned, which goes hand in hand with the third point which is “Social media invites insecurity and comparison.” Not only is staring at screens unhealthy, but it can lead young minds to focus on material things and comparison instead of real-life relationships that matter.
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