Staying glued to your screen is not good for a person’s mental health, but the impact is even greater amongst preteens. In one of the first studies to look at the long-term effects of screen time, researchers have found a link between spending hours on electronics and developing severe mental health symptoms in 8- and 10-year-olds.
In a new study published in BMC Public Health, researchers tracked the mental health of a diverse group of kids around the country for 2 years. They found an association between screen time and depression, anxiety, inattention, and aggression. Spending time video chatting, texting, watching videos, and playing video games was most linked to depressive symptoms. They also observed small ties between these activities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms.
“Screen use may replace time spent engaging in physical activity, sleep, socializing in-person and other behaviors that reduce depression and anxiety,” said Jason Nagata, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco’s Benioff Children’s Hospital’s Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and lead study author, in a statement.
While excessive screen time generally worsened mental health among adolescents, the severity of it varied by race. Of the 9,538 adolescents in the study, nearly half were not white. Additionally, half of the study participant pool was made up of girls. White adolescents versus Black and Asian peers were more likely to experience depressive symptoms when spending a lot of time on screens. There was no difference between the sexes.
According to the authors, non-White races may not experience as many mental health problems with screen time use because of how they use their devices. “For minority adolescents, screens and social media may play a different role, serving as important platforms to connect with peers who share similar backgrounds and experiences,” explained Nagata. “Rather than displacing in-person relationships, technology may help them expand their support networks beyond what’s accessible in their immediate environment.”
Children’s growing reliance on technology has been a pressing concern recently. Many young children are on social media and staring at screens for hours—the average time spent for non-educational reasons is about 5.5 hours for tweens and 8.5 hours for teens. While electronics are good distractions from boredom, they are not without consequences. Compared to 20 years ago, adolescents are 50% more likely to have a major depressive episode. Additionally, 30% of adolescents are more likely to attempt suicide.
Parents play an important role in children’s development of a healthy relationship with technology. For those having issues setting screentime limits, Nagata recommends parents look into the American Academy of Pediatrics’s Family Media Use Plan. The plan is tailored to each child’s unique needs.
Methodology
The researchers used data from the ABCD Study, which followed a large group of adolescents over time. They gathered information on screen time through a youth survey, asking participants about their daily use of various screen-based activities. Mental health symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a widely-used tool where parents report on their child’s behavioral and emotional problems. The researchers then used statistical models to examine how baseline screen time related to mental health symptoms at one and two-year follow-ups, while accounting for factors like age, sex, race/ethnicity, household income, and parent education.
Results
The study found that higher total screen time was associated with higher scores on all mental health symptom scales examined, even after adjusting for various factors. The strongest associations were with depressive symptoms, followed by conduct symptoms, somatic symptoms, and ADHD symptoms. When looking at specific types of screen activities, video chat, texting, watching videos, and playing video games showed the strongest links to depressive symptoms.
Limitations
The study relied on self-reported screen time, which could be subject to bias. It also couldn’t capture the content or context of screen use, which might be important factors. The follow-up period was limited to two years, and the study couldn’t prove that screen time causes mental health problems – only that there’s an association. Additionally, while the effect sizes were statistically significant, they were relatively small, which is important to consider when interpreting the results.
Discussion and Takeaways
The researchers suggest that their findings could help inform guidance on screen use for adolescents and their parents. They note that education, prevention, and intervention efforts might be particularly important in early adolescence, as mental health conditions often increase in mid- to late-adolescence. The study also highlights the need for more research into the mechanisms linking screen use with mental health problems, and for longer-term studies as adolescents grow older.
Funding and Disclosures
The ABCD Study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and additional federal partners. The lead author, Jason M. Nagata, was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The authors declared no competing interests.