Too much time on the screen that has a negative impact on teens?

We continue to hear about how teenagers have entered their bodies. They spend more and more time watching TVs, computers and handheld devices. Indeed, they can be online virtually anywhere and anytime. We have been told that the inability of teens to involve themselves so much in the real world around them has negative effects, with increasing rates of depression and anxiety, as well as increased risks of Self harm and injury inflicted on others.

But are the reported risks and impacts of increased screen time by adolescents actually based? Not really, according to a recent study from the University of Oxford in the journal Psychological Science and reported by The Guardian. The final conclusion of the study is that the time spent in front of the screen has very little correlation with the psychological well-being of adolescents. Surprised? Continue reading.

The Oxford study has examined the screen habits of over 17,000 adolescents living in the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. The study revealed that the use of the screen before bedtime is totally decorrelated psychological well-being. The study further demonstrated that the overall screen duration had a "tiny" impact on the well-being of adolescents compared to other teen activities.

The authors of the Oxford study, Amy Orben and Andrew Przybylski, argue that it is important to badyze the effects of the use of the screen on health adolescents and claim that the results of their study improve previous "unreliable" studies. They suggest that their methodologies used better capture the actual use and impacts of adolescents' screen; and obviously, the results of the Oxford study paint a less gloomy picture than previously thought. The purpose of the Oxford study is to serve facts rather than prior opinions.

It is important to note and emphasize that the Oxford study only examines the impact of time spent in front of a screen. It does not address the potential negative impacts of specific types of content available online for teens. In addition to the time spent on the screen itself, a number of mental health professionals believe that dangerous online content can actually harm the well-being of adolescents. There are many examples of dangerous online content – from violent content, inappropriate forms of badgraphy, to bullying on the Internet.

And even when addressing only time spent in front of a screen, many parents feel that their teenagers should move away from their screens, interact with people face to face, go out, move their bodies in the sport and enjoy nature.

Without a doubt, there will be more and more studies on the impact of online technology and its effects on young people. The high-tech train has come out of the station and we need to fully understand its orientation so we can guide the teenagers as best we can.