Preteens, who spend more time in front of screens and are addicted to social networks, are more likely to develop behavioral problems.
- Behavioral disorders include agitation, aggressiveness, phobias, eating disorders, hyperactivity or addictions.
- Every hour spent watching TV, video games, video calls and texting is linked to a 14% to 21% higher prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
In previous research, the link between children’s screen time and behavioral problems has been established. However, they did not distinguish between types of screen use or only examine one type, such as video games. This is why scientists from the University of California (United States) carried out work published in the journal The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Use of screens: data from 11,875 preteens analyzed
As part of this study, they analyzed data from the “Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development” cohort, which involved 11,875 children aged 9 to 11. Each young participant reported the number of hours per day they spent on six different types of screen: watching TV shows or movies, watching videos (like on YouTube for example), playing video games, send text messages, make video calls and check social networks like Instagram. A year later, researchers assessed behavioral problems in preteens. As a reminder, these disorders are anomalies in the way of acting and reacting.
4 hours a day spent in front of screens
According to the results, volunteers reported spending an average of 4 hours a day in front of screens streaming TV shows or movies (1.3 hours on average), playing video games (1.1 hours ) and watch videos on different platforms (1 hour). “Examining thresholds, exposure to more than 4 hours of screen time per day was associated with a higher prevalence of behavioral disorder (69%) and oppositional defiant disorder (46%),” noted the authors.
“Each hour of screen time per day was associated with a 7% higher prevalence of conduct disorder and a 5% higher prevalence of oppositional defiant disorder at one-year follow-up,” can we read in the study. According to the team, every hour spent on social media per day was linked to a 62% higher prevalence of behavioral disorder.
Social networks: “children can be exposed to violent content”
“Social media can encourage bullying and aggression. Children can be exposed to violent content on these platforms through advertisements, even if they are not looking for it. algorithms return even more disturbing content and kids can get stuck in toxic cycles,” said Jason Nagata, lead author of the study, in a statement.
