New Research Suggests Decreasing Screen Time To Only Three Hours Per Week Can Enhance Children’s Mental Health And Behavior Within Just Two Weeks
According to the American Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), children in the United States between the ages of 8 and 12 spend an average of four to six hours watching or using screens – like iPads – each day.
This number only rises as children get older, too, with teenagers spending up to nine hours of their day on digital devices.
In the wake of such widespread technology, screen time has become a hot topic among physicians and parents alike – with many citing concerns over the impact of screen time on sleep, eye strain, academic performance, obesity, and more.
Now, a new study led by researchers from the University of Southern Denmark has demonstrated the positive effects of cutting back children’s screen time.
The study’s findings suggest that significantly lowering leisure screen time to only three hours per week can greatly enhance children’s mental health and behavior within just two weeks.
The research included 89 families with 181 children and adolescents who were between the ages of 4 and 17. For the study, half of the families – known as the intervention group – were instructed to limit their leisure screen time, totaling a maximum of three hours per week for each family member.
This represented a significant reduction from the average amount of time kids spend using screens for entertainment each day.
Then, just two weeks of reduced screen time later, kids within the intervention group actually demonstrated notable improvements in both their overall emotional well-being and behavior.
The researchers used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and discovered that these kids witnessed a reduction in behavioral difficulty. This effectively moved them from the “borderline” to the “normal” category.
Svitlana – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Given how short the study’s duration was, this quick improvement is significant. The findings indicate that reducing screen time for even a short period of time can have a big impact on children’s mental health.
Internalizing symptoms, such as emotional problems or challenges with peers, as well as prosocial behavior, which pertains to being kind and helpful to others, were areas that saw the most significant improvements.
So, children may be able to manage their emotions better and enhance their social interactions by cutting down on screen time.
Still, Dr. Desper Schmidt-Persson, who led the study, noted that the three-hour limit specifically targeted leisure screen time. In other words, it did not include necessary screen time usage – such as for school or homework.
This means that reducing recreational screen time, as opposed to getting rid of screen time altogether, can still have a large and positive impact.
Past studies have also indicated there may be a connection between poor mental health and too much screen time. However, this study is among the first to establish a causal relationship via a randomized control trial.
Nonetheless, the research team advises against viewing these findings as a reason to completely eliminate all screen use.
Rather, they recommend adopting a balanced approach – with families setting reasonable screen time limits together.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in JAMA Network Open, visit the link here.
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