[ad_1]
While it’s always advisable to reduce screen time for children, the findings of a new study say otherwise. The new study argues that boys who regularly play video games by the age of 11 are less likely to develop depressive symptoms three years later. The study conducted by a UCL researcher was published in “Psychological Medicine”. He also revealed that girls who spend more time on social media seem to develop more depressive symptoms.
Taken together, the results demonstrate how different types of screen time can have a positive or negative influence on the mental health of young people, and can also have a different impact on boys and girls. Senior Author, Ph.D. Student Aaron Kandola (UCL Psychiatry) said: “Screens allow us to engage in a wide range of activities. Screen time guidelines and recommendations should be based on our understanding of how these different activities can influence mental health and whether this influence is significant.
“Although we cannot confirm if video games are actually improving Mental Health, it did not appear to be harmful in our study and may have some benefits. Particularly during the pandemic, video games have been an important social platform for young people. “We need to reduce the time children – and adults – spend sitting down, for their physical and mental health, but that doesn’t mean screen use is inherently harmful.”
Kandola has previously conducted studies showing that sedentary behavior (sitting still) seemed to increase the risk of depression and anxiety in adolescents. To better understand what drives this relationship, he and his colleagues chose to study screen time, as it is responsible for a large portion of sedentary behaviors in adolescents.
READ ALSO: Microsoft to make Xbox games more accessible for people with disabilities
Other studies have found mixed results, and many did not distinguish between different types of screen time, compared between genders, or followed such a large group of young people over several years. research from UCL, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) and Baker The Heart and Diabetes Institute (Australia) examined data from 11,341 adolescents in the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of young people who have been involved in the research since their birth in the UK in 2000-2002.
Study participants had all answered questions about their time spent on social media, playing video games or using the internet, by the age of 11, and also answered questions about depressive symptoms. , such as bad mood, loss of pleasure and poor concentration, with age. 14. The clinical questionnaire measures depressive symptoms and their severity on a spectrum, rather than providing a clinical diagnosis.
In the analysis, the research team considered other factors that might have explained the findings, such as socioeconomic status, levels of physical activity, reports of bullying, and prior emotional symptoms. Researchers found that boys who played video games most days had 24% less depressive symptoms, three years later than boys who played video games less than once a month, although this effect was only significant in boys with low levels of depression. physical activity and was not observed in girls. Researchers say this could suggest that less active boys may derive more fun and social interaction from video games.
While their study cannot confirm whether the relationship is causal, the researchers say there are some positive aspects of video games that may support mental health, such as problem solving and social, cooperative, and engaging elements. There may also be other explanations for the link between video games and depression, such as differences in social contact or parenting styles, for which the researchers did not have data. They also didn’t have data on hours of screen time per day, so they couldn’t confirm whether multiple hours of screen time each day might impact depression risks.
Researchers found that girls (but not boys) who used social media most of the time at age 11 had 13% more depressive symptoms three years later than those who used social media less than once per months, although they found no association with more moderate use of social media. Other studies have previously found similar trends, and researchers have suggested that frequent use of social media may increase feelings of social isolation.
READ ALSO: YouTube Gaming reaches 100 billion hours of viewing, Minecraft in the lead
Patterns of screen use between boys and girls may have influenced the results, as boys in the study played video games more often than girls and used social media less frequently. clear associations between general internet use and depressive symptoms in both sexes. Lead author Dr Mats Hallgren (Karolinska Institutet) conducted further studies in adults, finding that mentally active types of screen time, such as playing video games or working at a computer, might not affect the risk of depression in the same way that more passive forms of screen time seem to do.
He said: “The relationship between screen time and mental health is complex, and we still need more research to help understand it. Any initiative aimed at reducing the screen time of young people must be targeted and qualified. Our research indicates the possible benefits of screen time; however, we should always encourage young people to be physically active and to interrupt long periods of sitting with light physical activity. ”
Source link
