Too much screen time ‘puts children at risk of mental health problems’ – but some shows are worse than others
WATCHING screens can increase your child’s risk of mental health problems, a study shows.
More time spent in front of TVs, video games and social media boosted the chances of the issues in children aged three to six, Chinese researchers found.
However, the problems were not as bad in kids who watched educational programs, they said.
Dr Fan Jiang, of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said: “Parents should pay attention to the amount of time and the content choice of screen exposure in children.
“Educational programs should be chosen and non-child-directed programs should be avoided.”
Around 18 per cent of children aged seven to 16 had a “probable mental health disorder” last year, according to NHS data.
Previous research has shown that greater screen time can increase the risk of behaviour problems, anxiety, hyperactivity and inattention, and poorer self-esteem in young children.
The latest study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, looked at how screen time in general and particular types of programmes impacts children’s mental health.
Researchers looked at data from nearly 16,000 children aged three, five and six.
As the children aged, the proportion of screen time they spent on educational programmes decreased.
On average, 45 per cent of three-year-olds spent more than an hour a day watching the shows, compared to 26.8 per cent of six-year-olds.
More than one hour of exposure to entertainment programs each day fell from 44.4 per cent to 32.1 per cent over the same time.
Meanwhile, spending more than an hour on social media jumped from 1.5 per cent to 27.1 per cent.
Total screen time was linked to an increased risk of mental health problems.
Educational programs had a lower risk compared to those not tailored to children.
Dr Jiang said: “Excessive screen exposure in preschool children is a problem in many parts of the world.
“There was a consistent association between total screen time and risk for mental health problems, regardless of the onscreen content.
“Excessive screen time may be associated with impediments in cognition processing, emotional understanding and emotion-regulation ability.”