According to one study, too much screen time affects the well-being of children and adolescents



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New American research has revealed that one hour of screen projection can affect the behavior of children and adolescents. Even children as young as two years old are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression because of the time spent on their smartphone or watching TV.

Researchers from the University of San Diego and the University of Georgia reviewed the data collected at the 2016 National Child Health Survey.

The researchers analyzed 40,337 investigations conducted by caregivers of children aged 2 to 17, who were asked about existing medical care, emotional problems, children's development and behavior, as well as about youth behaviors, including time spent in front of the screen.

The findings, published in Preventative Medicine Reports, have shown that an increase in the number of screen hours is associated with a decline in well-being among children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 years , large users showing less curiosity, self-control and emotional stability.

Among preschool children, large screen users were twice as likely to lose their temper and 46% more likely to not be able to calm down when they were excited. About 22.6% of people aged 11 to 13 who spent more than seven hours in front of a screen did not want to learn new things, compared to 13.8% of those who spent four hours on the screen and about 9% of those who spent an hour in front of a screen.

Adolescents who spent more than seven hours a day on screens were twice as likely as those who spent only one hour on a screen to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression, an important finding according to Researchers. In addition, 42.2% of 14- to 17-year-olds who spent more than seven hours a day on screens did not finish their work, compared with 27.7% of those who spent four hours a day on the screen. and 16.6% of those who spent an hour a day in front of a screen.

In addition, the associations between screen time and well-being were stronger for teens than for young children.

"At first, I was surprised that the associations were bigger for teens," commented researcher Jean Twenge. "However, teens spend more time on their phones and on social media, and other research has shown that these activities are more closely tied to a lower level of well-being than watching television and videos. , most of the time spent on the screen. "

Twenge added that the study provides new evidence to support the filtering time limits established by the American Academy of Pediatrics – an hour a day for people from 2 to 5 years old, focused on high quality programs – and suggested that similar limits of two hours a day should be applied to older children and adolescents.

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