Two hours or more in front of the screen make children "misbehaved"

One study said that young children who spend hours watching screens every day are more skeptical at the age of five.

Preschoolers who use smartphones, tablets and other gadgets for more than two hours a day are seven times more likely to develop ADHD.

Time spent in front of a screen has a "significant impact" on the development of the child, warned the researchers by warning parents of the need to reduce it.

One author of the study suggested that this is due to the fact that the time spent watching screens is a time lost for healthier activities such as sports or sleep.

According to researchers, only half an hour a day or less, would be the optimal amount for preschoolers.

But the experts in the field immediately rejected the findings, saying they had "critical flaws" and no measure to prove that the time spent in front of a screen had actually caused the bad behavior.

Scientists from the University of Alberta have studied more than 2,400 families and found that children stuck to a screen had more serious behavioral problems.

In addition to a higher risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), people over two hours a day were five times more likely to be inattentive.

"We found that the time spent in front of a screen had a significant impact at five years," said Dr. Piush Mandhane.

The three year old study children spent an hour and a half on average watching screens every day. This number decreased slightly to 1.4 hours for five-year-olds.

The researchers found that the time spent in front of a screen could even have a greater effect on a child's behavior than his sleep or the stress of his parents.

And this may be due to the fact that it distances other aspects of life, which could reduce the risk of attention problems.

Dr. Mandhane told MailOnline: "Our data suggests that more time on the screen reduces sleep time.

& # 39; Developing a regular sleep routine, constant waking and sleeping hours that limit screen time before going to bed are also an important part of growth, development and behavior.

"In another analysis, we found that children who watched more than 2 hours of television a day were almost 65% less likely to sleep 10 hours a day. So, more screen time equals less sleep time.

The study supports previous research that also suggests sleep damage and other studies indicating poorer brain development, mental health problems and damaged eyes.

A lack of sleep in childhood could delay brain growth and therefore cause problems later in life.

Scientists at the CHEO Research Institute in Ottawa found that the brain function of 8-11 year old children was five percent worse than their peers when they spent more than two hours a day to watch a screen.

They think that this could be due to the fact that games and videos do not stimulate the brain in the same way as, for example, reading a book.

It also meant that they were not sleeping as well as others.

In research published today, scientists have discovered that organized sport and a good night's sleep could actually protect the brain from the harmful effects of excessive screen time.

They found that exercise itself was less important for improving children's behavior than participation in organized activities.

Dr. Tamana added, "The more children spent time in organized sports, the less likely they were to exhibit behavioral problems.

"Many things you do through organized activities are very important to young children from the start.

"I think that instead of spending time in front of the screen, it would be beneficial for parents to increase opportunities for structured activities."

The researchers suggested that "less, it's more," but they did not recommend removing it completely.

Instead, they said, this is a good opportunity to ensure that children use electronic devices with discernment.

"Our data suggest that between zero and 30 minutes a day is the optimal duration of the screen," Professor Mandhane said.

"The preschool period is an ideal time for education on healthy relationships with screens."

British scientists have criticized the study and said that it does not directly link screen time to bad behavior or ADHD.

And they added that the researchers had exceeded their goals by giving advice to parents and doctors based on a wrong document.

Professor Andrew Przybylski, research director at the Oxford University's Internet Institute, said: "There is no basic data on children's behavior; it is therefore possible that children predisposed to behavioral problems are also predisposed to a longer screen time. The document does not contextualize this correctly.

He added, "The authors go far beyond their results in providing advice to doctors and educators. Correlations are very small and inconsistent.

"It is slightly shocking that the authors advocate limiting screen time on the basis of these results, since the evidence presented in the paper suggests that almost all the other factors analyzed were a much stronger predictor."

Dr. Bob Patton, a lecturer in clinical psychology at the University of Surrey, said: & # 39; [the study] suggests that children under five who spend an average of two hours or more per day in front of screens are more likely to have a diagnosis of ADHD, this gives no indication that time spent on the screen is the cause of the problem.

"While the excessive use of the" electronic babysitter "may or may not contribute to the development of behavioral problems, parents need to be aware of this possibility and ensure that young children participate in a variety of behaviors. Activities, both on and off screen. "

The research was published in the journal PLOS ONE.