Study links screen time to emotional problems in kids
Are screens messing with our kids’ emotions? Here’s what the experts say...
Kids today spend a lot of time glued to screens.
Whether it’s watching cartoons, playing video games, doing homework, or messaging their friends.
Screens are everywhere, but what’s all that screen time doing to their emotions?
A new international study, published by the American Psychological Association, took a deep dive into this question.
The answers might surprise you.
Researchers analyzed 117 studies involving over 292,000 children from around the world (yep, that’s a lot of kids!).
The results of the study pointed to something interesting:
The more time kids spent on screens, the more likely they were to develop emotional and behavior problems.
Furthermore, kids who already struggled emotionally were also turning to screens to cope.
Basically, it’s a vicious inescapable cycle.
What kind of problems are we talking about?
The study looked at things like anxiety and depression, aggression and hyperactivity and low self-confidence.
These issues showed up differently depending on age and gender.
Older kids (six to 10 years) were more affected than the little ones (zero to five years).
Girls are more prone to emotional problems from too much screen time.
On the other hand, boys are more likely to binge on screens when they were already dealing with issues - a way of escaping those issues.
Does it matter what they’re doing on screens?
Not all screen time is equal though.
Gaming was linked to a higher risk of problems, especially for kids using it as an escape.
Educational or light recreational screen use (texting, music, videos etc.) wasn’t as harmful.
So, what can parents do?
According to the experts, parents must watch not just how long your kids are on their phones, but what your kids are doing online.
Use parental controls where needed, and most importantly - if a child is glued to a screen, it might be a sign they need emotional support, not just time-outs from devices.
The study’s lead author, Roberta Vasconcellos, says it’s about finding a balanced, thoughtful approach.
“By understanding how screen use and emotional problems feed into each other, parents and teachers can better support kids in this digital world.”
While this research doesn’t fully prove screens cause emotional problems, it’s one of the strongest cases we’ve seen so far.
It reminds us that when it comes to kids and screens, moderation and mindfulness are key.
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