New research by the Australian Catholic University has found higher screen use in childhood “could exacerbate aggression, anxiety, attention difficulties and depression”.
It found that these emotions could in turn result in further screen use as a “coping mechanism”.
The analysis of 117 studies covered 292,000 children across the world, which researchers said makes it “one of the largest studies of its kind”.
Here’s what you need to know.
Key findings
The study found that children who spend “excessive time on screens” are at greater risk of “developing mood and behaviour problems”.
It also found that children who are experiencing these socioemotional issues can turn to screens to “feel better and connect with peers”.
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On this, senior author and University of Queensland Associate Professor Michael Noetel said: “Our study shows screen use is a vicious cycle: we sometimes give children screens when they're struggling, but doing so seems to make them struggle more.”
Specifically, researchers found that video games demonstrated the “strongest link for developing socio-emotional problems” with school aged children “particularly vulnerable”.
Dr Noetel said that video games are “particularly tempting” for children “having problems” as they are addictive and provide “powerful feedback when you’re doing a good job”.
Recommendation
The authors of the study said “it’s not about banning screens”. Instead, the researchers recommended “keeping an eye on [kids’] media diet. Specifically, they recommended “using the parental controls on your TV or tablet to set reasonable limits on what they watch and how much”.
On the perceived link between socioemotional issues and screen time, Dr Noetel added: “If we only address one side of the equation – cutting down on screen time but overlooking anxiety or aggression that leads kids to screens – we risk leaving children stuck in a cycle.”
