Two in Three Kids Regularly ‘Screen Stacking’ After School — Using Up to Four Digital Devices at Same Time

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on StudyFinds.

If you think children just sit in front of a computer screen all day, you’re wrong. Most are actually sitting in front of several screens now. Once school ends, a recent study finds two-thirds of children spend their evenings and weekends staring at up to four screens at once. Researchers from the University of Leicester say the worrying trend of “screen stacking” may lead to poor health later on.

Scientists say the habit only adds to the increasingly sedentary lifestyles people are leading. Less physical activity can also lead to the development of diabetes and obesity. Meanwhile, study authors find too much screen time has links to sleep problems as well.

Researchers studied 800 girls between the ages of 11 and 14 during the study. Results show 59 percent use two or more screens right after school. That number grows to 65 percent in the evenings and 68 percent on weekends. More than 90 percent of adolescents in the study either own their own smartphones or have access to one.

“Sadly, this study reminds us that we are in danger of creating a new generation of sedentary children. Increased sedentary time is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, which is increasing in younger age groups,” says Prof. Melanie Davies, co-director of the Leicester Diabetes Centre. “The number of young people with type 2 diabetes has gone up by 50% in just five years.”

The findings appear in the journal Acta Paediatrica.

Source: Study Finds
https://www.studyfinds.org/kids-screen-stacking-after-school-four-devices-at-same-time/