Excessive screen time is linked to poorer health – but research has not yet determined where the limit lies

How is screen time linked to health in school-age children and young people?

More screen time or other sedentary time is associated with, for example, poorer physical fitness, poorer cardiovascular health, less sleep, increased weight, and more body fat. However, the current research evidence is not sufficient to determine how much screen time or other sedentary time is associated with negative health factors during school age. Therefore, no precise recommendation on the maximum amount of daily screen time can be given based on research results. Less sedentary behavior, however, seems to be associated with better health among children and adolescents.

How is screen time related to the mental well-being of children and young people?

More sedentary and screen time may be associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, feelings of loneliness, lower self-esteem, life satisfaction, and behavioral disorders.

However, the associations are mainly weak in these studies. The most evidence points to the connection between increased screen time and depressive symptoms in children and young people.

But there are still relatively few longitudinal studies on this topic, and therefore the causality is not known. Is it screen time that worsens mental well-being, or is it poorer mental well-being that leads to more screen time, or is there a connection in both directions?

Different types of screen time also appear to be associated with mental well-being in different ways. In research, a distinction is made between mentally active and passive screen time. For example reading, educational gaming, and chatting with other people can be considered mentally active screen time, while watching a movie or scrolling through social media feeds is considered mentally passive screen time.

The question is whether the concept of screen time is suitable at all when examining these issues. Perhaps the content is more important than the time spent with screens and digital media. When it comes to mental well-being as well, precise recommendations for the maximum amount of sedentary or screen time cannot be given based on current research.

Is screen time harmful?

Screen time and digital media are often seen as an explanation for behavioral problems and ill health in children and young people. Based on research, however, the connection between these phenomena is not so clear-cut.

More important than the exact amount of time spent can be what is done on the device, by whom, with whom, and what is happening in life in general. The effect of digital media on children and young people is also influenced by other factors, such as the child's developmental stage and psychological needs, family, and other social relationships.

For young children in particular, the use and content of digital media should of course be limited when necessary. But when media use becomes problematic, the only cause may not be the time spent on media, but a combination of several underlying factors.

For well-being, it is important to focus on the overall picture, and consider other lifestyle factors such as physical activity, sleep, and diet. A child's daily life can be healthy and happy with or without screen time. We should remember that digital media literacy is also important in the lives of children and adolescents in the current era.

Text: Heidi Furu

Photo: Titti Myhrberg