2,817,252—that’s the number of children and adolescents whose data researchers looked at in a new in-depth study to determine how screen use affects their lives, education, minds, and emotional well-being. Researchers studied the relationship between excessive screen use and development as well as mental health outcomes. Young brains are incredibly impressionable and vulnerable, and protecting them is a huge challenge for parents everywhere. So, kids’ leisure activities and everyday habits—and what their parents allow them to do at home—genuinely matter. Permitting more time on smartphones and tablets, being a couch potato in front of the TV, and using the computer for gaming and streaming are poor investments in a child’s future. The research findings about the harm caused were intriguing and likely to change how even educated and responsible parents view screen time. Screen-based media consumption and digital entertainment and distractions are more insidious—yet also more nuanced—than you might think. Technology isn’t good or bad in and of itself. It’s how we use it that matters. Helena Lopes/Pexels (not the actual photo) The recent study—a so-called quantitative umbrella review published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics—looked at data on millions of kids and teens from 64 countries worldwide. Researchers, who were led by academics at the University of Calgary in Canada, extracted and synthesized data from a whopping 23 meta-analyses to uncover associations between children’s screen use and their academic, cognitive, mental health, and socioemotional outcomes. The results are enough to keep many a parent awake at night, making them wonder whether—and how—to overhaul their entire approach to parenting and their kids’ leisure time. According to the results of the study, high screen time among children aged 18 and under results in: Lower overall academic achievement Lower language development Higher internalizing behavior problems Higher externalizing behavior problems Higher emotional difficulties Higher peer problems pikisuperstar/Pexels (not the actual photo) Internalizing behavior includes symptoms of depression, anxiety, and low mood. Meanwhile, externalizing behavior includes symptoms of aggression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, aka ADHD. In general, being exposed to media on screens led to worse mental health and developmental outcomes for kids. Associations varied by the type of screen, the age of the child, and the publication year of the meta-analysis being reviewed. For instance, the researchers found that, specifically, social media use was associated with more serious internalizing problems. High screen time seems to be as significant as (or even greater than) parental behavior, premature birth, and family wealth. Amel Uzunovic/Pexels (not the actual photo) The reason for the massive umbrella review is very simple: screens are everywhere these days. “Given the ubiquity of screens in children’s lives and public concerns about potential effects on development and mental health, a consolidated, up-to-date synthesis of empirical evidence linking screen exposure with development and mental health outcomes is needed to inform stakeholders and policymakers,” the researchers write about the motivation for their study. Although screen time affects key areas such as academic achievement, language development, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, emotional difficulties, and peer issues, other areas of kids’ lives remain surprisingly unaffected. At least based on the current data. For example, as per the data, screen-based media exposure was NOT associated with the following: Executive functioning Prosociality Mathematics Science Reading The researchers added the caveat that areas such as executive functioning, prosociality, maths, science, and reading were among the least studied. So, potentially, the harmful impact of screen time might exist in these areas. However, there’s just not enough evidence (yet!) to draw strong conclusions. Kampus Production/Pexels (not the actual photo) Of course, the study had certain other limitations. Specifically, screen time, while significant, should not be viewed as the main cause of adolescent distress. The effects are more moderate and nuanced than outright dramatic. According to Tatiana Íñiguez Berrozpe, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Zaragoza in Spain, the study certainly does show an association between screen time and poor mental health and lower academic performance. However, she argues that it is small. “This is not an insignificant finding, but it in no way supports the mantra that screens are the main cause of adolescent emotional distress. Screen use alone does not explain why a teenager is emotionally distressed or performs less well academically,” she shared her perspective. In the meantime, Esther van Sluijs, a professor of behavioral epidemiology at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, noted that the review was “high-quality.” One issue, though, is that the review couldn’t differentiate between different types of screen use. “It cannot draw robust conclusions about specific types of screen use, like social media use or gaming, as there was not enough data to study this. We should therefore be cautious in interpreting these results in the context of young people’s current screen use habits,” the expert warned. The Six/Pexels (not the actual photo) That being said, not all meta-analyses that were reviewed are equal. The researchers who conducted the huge umbrella review pointed out that newer studies found stronger links between screen time and subsequent issues, compared to older ones. In short, this may indicate that the more modern a tech device is, the more interactive, portable, and constantly available it is than older devices were. It has to be said, however, that it’s not all just doom and gloom. Screens can provide plenty of benefits, too, when used correctly. They can support children’s learning, their creativity, and connection to other people. The issues start piling up when screen time pushes kids away from the things they ought ot prioritize, including face-to-face conversations, free play, physical activity, and getting plenty of sleep. The result of an unbalanced relationship with tech is poor brain health. Meanwhile, the relationship between tech and problematic behavior may be a two-way street. One study noted that higher screen use led to more socioemotional problems, but these problems also increased screen use. Another recent study, conducted by Finnish researchers, found that the type of screen activity that kids experience matters. Specifically, active, creative, learning-oriented, and problem-solving screen activity can support thinking skills. Especially when paired with physical activity. zaid isaac/Pexels (not the actual photo) Rutgers Brain Health Institute stresses that screens are now a permanent part of modern childhood. Therefore, it is unrealistic and impractical to set goals such as ‘zero screens’ at home. Instead, parents can do the following to reduce the overall amount of screen time and lead to healthier tech use habits: Create one ‘pocket’ at home where screens are not used Prioritize sleep, outdoor, or active time over screen time Refocus on social/shared screen time versus solo screen time Personally model the healthy habits you want to see your kids adopt Analyze what specific activities tech use is replacing instead of just focusing on exact screen time “Technology itself is neither inherently good nor bad. The most useful goal is intentional use: choosing content and contexts that support development while protecting the everyday experiences [...] that help young brains thrive,” Rutgers notes. Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels (not the actual photo) In practical terms, what parents can do literally today is create a consistent tradition where one area or activity at home is screen-free. For instance, one simple but impactful thing you can do is announce that nobody will use tech devices during family dinners. Everyone will have to be social. (This includes the grown-ups, too!) What must not be forgotten, however, is that children naturally emulate what the authority figures in their lives do. In a nutshell, they copy their parents. So, changing their screen habits also means taking a healthier, more disciplined approach to your own screen use! Even if you have the best intentions, your kids won’t listen to you when you tell them to get off their screens if you spend excessive time on your phone, in front of the TV, or on the computer. They will do as you do, not as you say. And they definitely will pine for their screens during family dinner if you’re browsing your smartphone at the table. One recent study of Norwegian kids ages 5 to 7 found that each additional hour of daily smartphone use by the primary parent led to slower growth in the child’s receptive vocabulary. Heavy tech use by parents reduces their ability to be responsive while interacting with their munchkins. Meanwhile, “children’s digital device ownership was associated with lower concurrent language performance.” In other words, healthy child development requires that parents are fully present and vocal, not distracted. At the end of the day, developing a child’s healthy relationship with screens, tech, the internet, and entertainment is an endeavor that requires the entire family to participate. Parents have to rethink not just what they permit their kids to do at home, but what their own habits look like. New, healthy screen time habits mean all hands on deck! How do you approach screen time in your household? What’s the situation like in your family, whether you're a parent or not? Let us know in the comments.
