A new holistic study, the most elaborate of its kind, summed up 117 longitudinal studies between 1972 and 2024. It underscores widespread worries among parents and guardians about too much time on screens harming children’s emotional and social health. The 2017 study only considered children 10 years and younger. In this new study, researchers followed close to 300,000 participants over time, allowing them to determine a cause-and-effect relationship between screen use and poor mental health.
Dr. Tara Narula, a key leader in this line of research, reported the shocking statistics about children’s screen use. “More than 40% of kids [ages] 8 to 12 are using screens for more than four hours per day,” she stated. This pattern of over-prescription is alarming, particularly considering that 50% of all mental health conditions appear before the age of 14.
Overall, the study’s results point to a reciprocal relationship between screen time and children’s emotional wellbeing. With the pandemic, children have been spending more time in front of screens than ever before. This can create an increase in these emotional struggles, making them turn to screens even more as a means of coping.
Fortunately, as one of the authors, Dr. Brendan Huang, chief resident physician in adult neurology at Northwell Health, pointed out, these findings are important. He stressed their importance especially as childhood mental health disorders continue to soar. “You add to that the fact that we are seeing rising rates of mental health disorders in kids, and half of these disorders start before the age of 14 — you can understand why we need to understand the effects of screens on our kids,” he said.
Dr. Michael Noetel, an associate professor of psychology at The University of Queensland and one of the study’s authors, noted that while specific gaming habits were not the focus, broader generalizations could still be made about screen time’s impact. “Rather than breaking it down by the exact game people were playing, it’s safe to make some assumptions,” he explained.
This research highlights the need for parents to take control over how they allow their kids to use screens. While reminding parents to keep expectations realistic and stay supportive, Dr. Narula encouraged parents to draw the line. “We’ve all been guilty of it, but it’s OK to say no and to set limits and boundaries, and do it in a noncontrolling way as a parent, if you can,” she said.
Experts agree that screen time should never come at the expense of these other important activities. Above all, be sure to focus on achieving quality sleep and maintaining adequate levels of physical activity! The researchers hope to offer a better picture of how screens are impacting children across all areas of their lives.
