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People of all ages spend more time looking at their phones, computers, and television screens, but parents now have another reason to limit their children's screen time – this could lead to behavioral problems.
According to a new study from the University of Alberta, younger children who spend at least two hours on the screen a day were nearly six times more likely to have an ability to Poor attention and other behavior problems than their peers who had only spent 30 minutes on screen. at most every day.
Children were also 7.7 times more likely than their peers to develop symptoms associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
In addition, the researchers suggested that longer screening times could override other risk factors for behavioral problems such as parental stress, the number of children's sleep, and certain socio-economic problems. The Globe and Mail, reportedly, may be because it hinders risk-reducing factors such as good night's sleep.
"Our data suggest that more time on the screen results in less sleep time," said Daily Mail, Dr. Piush Mandhane, co-author and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto. 39; Alberta.
The researchers found an important factor that actually protected children from the risks associated with longer screening periods: structured physical activity.
Children who participated in at least two hours of sport each week were significantly less likely to develop behavioral problems, the researchers noted.
"Interestingly, it was not a physical activity in itself that was protective, the activity had to be structured," Mandhane told the Edmonton Journal. "And the more children spent time in organized sports, the less likely they were to have behavioral problems."
For the study, published this week in PLOS One, The researchers asked parents of 2,427 children in Canadian cities to complete a questionnaire that is often used to report anxiety, depression, aggression, and sleep problems, among other things, when their children have reached the age of three or five, reported Newsweek. The researchers then asked the parents to report the time their children spent in front of screens as well as the time they spent doing physical activities.
In total, the study found that three-year-old Canadian children spent an average of 1.5 hours in front of the screen each day and 1.4 hours before the age of five. This reflects previous research suggesting that preschoolers in Canada typically spend between 1.5 and 3.5 hours of screen time per day, and that a longer duration is associated with hyperactivity and targets. missing development.
Despite this, the researchers acknowledged that their findings were still only associations. They note that the study did not examine whether the specific types of content displayed on the screens had any effect. Experts not involved in the study also identified other key limitations.
Natalia Kucirkova, Professor of Early Childhood Development and Development at the Norwegian Center for Research on Learning Environments and Behavior at Stavanger University, told Newsweek that researchers are looking at were based on subjective observations self-reported by their parents to draw conclusions. In the Globe and Mail, Michelle Ponti, a pediatrician and chair of the Canadian Pediatric Society's Digital Health Working Group, noted that the study did not identify the type of screen used by the Canadian Pediatric Society. children and their use.
But for the researchers, the results were sufficient to suggest that even current Canadian guidelines advocating an hour-long limit on the projection time of children are too lenient.
"Children should develop a healthy relationship with the screens from the age of 3 to 5 years," Mandhane told ABC News. "Our data suggest that between zero and 30 minutes a day is the optimal duration of the screen."
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