An important international study that analyzes almost 300,000 children has revealed a bidirectional link between the amount of time for children spend on screens and its emotional and social welfare.
Children who spent more time The use of devices such as televisions, tablets, computers and games consoles had a greater risk of developing problems such as aggression, anxiety and low self -esteem later in life, according to the study.
The connection also works in reverse: the children who were already fighting with social or emotional challenges tended to spend more time in all types of screens.
The time dedicated to play consoles was particularly linked to a greater possibility of developing problems, according to the study, published Monday at the Psychological Bulletin of the Journal Academic.
“Instead of breaking it through the exact game that people were playing, it is safe to make some assumptions,” Dr. Michael Noetel, one of the authors of the study and associate professor of psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia, told ABC News. “The majority of the games that were included were console games, computer games and mobile games.”
When asked if the violent games, the games that involved shooting, led to more behavioral problems, Noetel said that was not necessarily the case.
“Some studies broken down the games in case they were violent, but our interpretation was that most parents knew how to limit the amount of violent content to give children under 10 years,” he said. “Instead, [the] The key finding was that games in general, regardless of the specific type, showed much stronger links with emotional problems than other screen activities such as watching television or using educational applications. “
Archive photo of a teenager on his cell phone.
CRISPIN LA VALIENTE/GETTY IMAGES
The study is one of the largest of its kind, analyzing 117 long -term studies carried out between 1972 and 2024. When focusing on children 10 years or less and tracking them over time, researchers could determine more clearly the cause and effect.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended Children between the ages of 2 and 5 to limit recreational screen time one hour a day from Monday to Friday and three hours on weekends. According to the study, children who exceed the recommended screen time guidelines were more prone to socio -emotional problems compared to those who remained within the recommended limits, according to the study.
“More than 40% of children [ages] 8 to 12 are using screens for more than four hours per day, “Dr. Tara Narula, ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent on the findings of the study” on “Good morning America“” You add to that the fact that we are seeing growing rates of mental health disorders in children, and half of these disorders begin before the age of 14; You can understand why we need to understand the effects of screens on our children. “
So what is the key conclusion for parents?
The objective is not to eliminate the screens completely, the study authors said.
When children participate in moderate quantities of screen time, especially for educational purposes, there is a lower risk of social or emotional problems in the future.
Children must learn not to use a screen as their only way out to handle their emotions and must be encouraged to interact with friends and family to develop resilience and emotional skills. The most important thing is to ensure that screen time does not interfere with essential elements such as a full night and regular physical activity, the study added.
“We have all been guilty of it, but it is fine to say no and establish limits and limits, and do it in a non -controlling way as a father, if it can,” said Narula, who was not involved with the study.
Dr. Brendan Huang works as the main doctor resident in adult neurology at Northwell Health and is also a member of the ABC News medical unit.
