A new study from the University of California, San Francisco has uncovered a troubling connection between increased screen time and the development of mental health issues in 9- and 10-year-old children. The research, published in the BMC Public Health journal, followed a diverse group of kids over a two-year period and found that more time spent on screens was associated with more severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, inattention, and aggression. This article explores the implications of these findings and provides insights on how parents can help mitigate the negative effects of excessive screen time. Childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and ADHD are all discussed in the context of this study.
AbstractThe Increase of Mental Health Problems in Adolescents
Dr. Jason Nagata and his team at UCSF Beenioff Children’s Hospital are the authors of what they believe is one of the first long-term studies to investigate an association with screen time and mental health in early adolescents The researchers tracked thousands of children from across the country over two years, and what they learned was both disturbing and illuminating.
Results consistently showed that the more time spent on screen-based activities, the more severe were the participants’ symptom scores for depression, anxiety symptoms, inattention and aggression. The magnitude of the effects were small, but they persisted over time and video chatting, texting, watching videos and gaming had the strongest correlations with depressive symptoms. This may be because screen use is taking time that might otherwise be spent on activities with more mental health benefits; like exercise, social interaction and good quality sleep.
The Picture in Context Access to Media: A Gender and Racial Comparison
The study found that the racial differences were among its most intriguing results. For white teens, screen time was significantly more strongly tied to depression and ADHD symptoms than it was for black teenagers. There were also more robust associations between screen time and depressive symptoms found in Black or Other ethnicities compared to the Asian participants.
Dr. Nagata suggested that these disparities may arise from different patterns of screen time and social media use among minority adolescents. For minority teens, on the other hand, screens and social media may serve a different purpose if they use them to connect with other people of similar backgrounds or experiences, he noted. “Technology may not supplant in-person connections, but could enable them to widen the circle of support they have beyond whatever is available locally.” In short, the effect of screen time on mental health is probably more nuanced and complicated than previously imagined, with cultural and social factors likely to play a large part.
Parent Suggestions to Minimize the Dangers of Screen Time
The increasing reliance on screen time among tweens and teens is a pronounced public health issue, as the study suggests. Adolescents today are 50 percent more likely to have a major depressive episode and 30 percent more likely to commit suicide than they were just 20 years ago, with tweens averaging 5.5 hours of screen time for noneducational purposes daily — up from zero in pre-Internet Reality Time — and five extra hours on top of that by the teen years.
As a resource for parents who are struggling to navigate this difficult terrain, Dr. Nagata suggests Family Media Use Plan that considers the individual child and their circumstances That could be managing screen time; encouraging physical activity and talking with others face-to-face, as well protecting sleep. Moreover, parents are encouraged to keep an eye out for changes in mood, behavior or academic progress as this could a sign for their child’s mental health making sure to seek help if persistent.
With a more thoughtful, proactive and balanced approach to managing screen time at the homefront — parents can protect their children’s mental health while nurturing their well-being in those formative years of growing up.
