50% Surge in Preteen Sadness: Why Excess Screen Time May be to Blame

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

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.

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.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/excess-screen-time-severe-mental-health-issues-preteens/