Young Couch Potatoes Face Mental Health Risks

Spending large amounts of time watching TV and staring at computer screens poses high levels of psychological distress in young children. When combined with inactivity, the harm may be even worse, a new study indicated in the journal Pediatrics, Reuters reported. 

There have been many previous studies of “screen time” and mental health conducted on adolescents and teens, but this study included children as young as 4 years of age, said Dr. Mark Hamer of University College London, the lead researcher on the current investigation.

Hamer told reporters in an interview, “We replicated the earlier findings in older adolescents that show too much TV and screen-based entertainment is associated with poorer measures of mental health.”

In effort to accurately prove if TV and screen entertainment time and lack of physical activity have independent effects on psychological well-being, Hamer’s research team monitored 1,486 boys and girls of ages 4 to 12 years.  Additionally, the parents of the participants completed an assessment entitled the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire that gauges childhood mental health issues like hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, conduct and peer problems. 

Results of the study revealed that 1 in 4 children engaged in 3 hours of daily screen time, while 4.2 percent had abnormally high scores on the questionnaire, signaling high levels of psychological distress.  Children engaging in screen time more than 2.7 hours daily had scores 24 percent higher, pointing to more distress than children who participated in 1.6 hours or less of daily screen time. When children combined these heavy TV and computer practices with little physical movement, distress scores jumped up 46 percent. 

Hamer noted, children who engaged in 3 hours or more of screen time, the highest screen time level, revealed more severe signs of mental health issues.  The research team emphasized the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics that suggests screen-based entertainment should be limited to no more than 2 hours daily.  Further, current recommendations typically advise that children engage in active play for one hour at the very least each day. 

"I think it’s really a question of sort of limiting screen-based activity and just trying to encourage more physical activity," Hamer said. "That’s the key message."

"There’s also good evidence to suggest that physical activity levels actually reduce as children go through adolescence," he added, which is weighty reason why parents should take an active role in establishing healthy habits in children at a young age. 

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