U.S. Adolescents’ Daily Screen Time Doubled During Pandemic

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

As teens dramatically stepped up their screen time during COVID-19 lockdowns, their well-being took a hit, a new study reveals.

Recreational screen time among U.S. teens doubled from before the pandemic to nearly eight hours per day during the pandemic, according to the report. And this estimate doesn’t include time spent on screens for remote learning or schoolwork, so the total was likely much higher, the researchers said.

“More screen time was linked to poorer mental health and greater stress among teens,” said lead researcher Dr. Jason Nagata, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.

The findings stem from a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adolescents, mostly 12- and 13-year-olds.

Nagata’s team looked at time teens spent playing games, texting, using social media, video chatting, browsing the internet, and watching or streaming movies, videos or television shows.

The findings were published online as a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/11-2-u-s-adolescents-daily-screen-time-doubled-during-pandemic-2655438524.html