Excess screen time: Poor cognition, obesity + other health hazards your kids may suffer from

A new study on kids has revealed that more than 2 hours of screen time every day can poorly impact kids’ cognition. That’s one more reason to keep kids away from the screens!

Upneet Pansare | Updated: October 1, 2018 9:32 am

Please do not let your kids use electronic gadgets for more than 2 hours a day © Shutterstock

A study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, finds that when kids spend more than two hours on screens every day, they tend to perform more poorly on tests of cognition. According to The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth, at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, 2 hours or less recreational screen time per day, and 9–11 h sleep per night in children aged 8–11 years is recommended. For the study, the researchers observed that not many kids stuck to these guidelines. They further observed that kids who were spending more than 2 hours on screen time every day had poor cognition skills. There are many other health risks of spending too much time using electronic gadgets. Here are some of them:

Dry eyes and eye strain: A recent study published in journal- Ophthalmology says that the number of cases of dry eyes and eye strain among children is rising because of too much screen time. Some of the most common symptoms other than these two include headaches and blurry vision. These symptoms are typically temporary but they may be frequent and persistent, says the study.

Obesity: More than 90 minutes of screen time can increase the risk of obesity in later years. The researchers have found “a strong link” between rising child obesity levels and frequent exposure to the social media, TVs, computers and smart devices. They also found that engaging in media late at night can be hugely disruptive to young people’s sleeping patterns, which can put them at higher risk of obesity.

Depression: According to Professor of psychology at San Diego State University Jean Twenge, 48 per cent of teens who spent five or more hours per day on electronic devices reported at least one suicide-related outcome, compared to only 28 per cent of those who spent less than an hour a day on devices. The depressive symptoms were more common in teens who spent a lot of time on their devices, as well, noted the study.

Published: October 1, 2018 9:30 am | Updated:October 1, 2018 9:32 am

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