New Study Finds Reduction in Screen Time for Children is Related to Better Cognition

The time spent by children in front of the screens can affect their cognitive functions and their development, according to a new study published in The journal Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

According to the researchers, screen time, physical activity and sleep are three key elements in maintaining and improving cognitive abilities. Health experts advise children between the ages of eight and 11 to have at least one hour of physical activity a day, to sleep nine to eleven hours a night and to spend no more than two hours a day in front of a screen.

However, based on this study and the Canadian guidelines on movement 24 hours a day, only one in 20 children in the United States respects the recommendations.

Details of the study

The researchers performed a cross-sectional observational study based on data from the cognitive brain development study in adolescents.

The researchers focused on data collected from September 2016 to September 2017 and observed 4,524 children aged 8 to 11 years. The three most important areas for researchers were screen time, sleep and physical activity. Parents and children completed questionnaires early in the study to assess typical behaviors in these three areas.

While keeping in mind throughout the study household income, ethnicity, body mass index, traumatic brain injury, parental and child education and pubertal development, children also participated in memory, attention, executive function and language abilities.

The results showed that nearly 30% of the children involved in the study did not meet any of the recommended guidelines, just over 40% had one, 25% had two, and five% each.

"Daily behaviors and activities contribute to brain and cognitive development in children, and physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and sleep could affect cognition independently and collectively," said Dr. Jeremy Walsh, lead author of l & # 39; study. Press release.

Link between screen time and cognition

"We found that more than two hours of screen time in children were associated with lower cognitive development," said Dr. Walsh. "More research on the links between screen time and cognition is now needed, including the study of the effect of different types of screen time, whether educational or entertainment,

In the study, 50% of children respected the recommended hours of sleep per night, 37% met the recommended exam time and 18% responded to physical activity recommendations.

The children in the study showed better cognition when they met more recommended guidelines, although the children who met were the guideline or both the time spent on the screen and the sleep guidelines showed stronger cognitive development.

Limitations of the study

The researchers noted that the results of the study had certain limitations, in part because of the observational nature of the study.

In addition, because of the survey questionnaire format, responses may be affected by a self-reporting bias. Moreover, since the questionnaires were only used at the beginning of the study, they do not show the effects of these behaviors – or cognitive development – over time.

However, Dr. Walsh emphasized the need for further research in this area.

"The data suggest that good sleep and good physical activity are associated with improved school performance, while physical activity is also related to improved reaction time, attention , memory and inhibition, "said Dr. Walsh. "The link between sedentary behaviors, such as time spent in the recreation screen, is unclear, as this research is in its infancy and seems to vary with the types of on-screen activities.

"According to our findings, pediatricians, parents, educators and policy makers should promote the limitation of screen time and prioritize healthy sleep patterns throughout childhood and childhood." teens, "said Walsh.