May 3, 2024

Excessive Screen Time in Preteens Linked to Suicidal Behavior

The research study collected screen time data for 11,633 children 9-11 years who were followed for two years. The children answered questions about their time spent on 6 different screen time modalities as well as self-destructive behaviors.
” The study was performed primarily prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its findings are especially relevant now given that youth mental health worsened throughout the pandemic,” noted co-author Kyle T. Ganson, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Torontos Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. The scientists formerly found that teen screen time doubled to nearly eight hours daily at the start of the pandemic in a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
” Screen time can have crucial advantages such as education and socializing, however parents must try to alleviate negative psychological health risks from extreme screen time. Parents should routinely speak to their children about screen use and good example screen habits,” stated Nagata.
Recommendations: “Screen time and self-destructive habits amongst U.S. kids 9– 11 years of ages: A prospective cohort study” by Jonathan Chu, Kyle T. Ganson, Fiona C. Baker, Alexander Testa, Dylan B. Jackson, Stuart B. Murray and Jason M. Nagata, 17 February 2023, Preventive Medicine.DOI: 10.1016/ j.ypmed.2023.107452.
” Screen Time Use Among US Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic– Findings From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study” by Jason M. Nagata, Catherine A. Cortez, Chloe J. Cattle, Kyle T. Ganson, Puja Iyer, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo and Fiona C. Baker, 1 November 2021, JAMA Pediatrics.DOI: 10.1001/ jamapediatrics.2021.4334.

The study extracts information from the across the country Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) research study, the largest long-term study of brain advancement in the United States. The research study collected screen time information for 11,633 kids 9-11 years who were followed for two years. The children addressed questions about their time invested on six various screen time techniques as well as self-destructive habits.

Screen time refers to the amount of time people invest using electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and computer systems. Over the last few years, the frequency of screen time has increased sharply, with individuals investing approximately over 7 hours daily on screens.
Taking part in activities such as enjoying videos, playing computer game, texting, and video chatting has actually been connected to an increased risk of self-destructive habits.
A recent study exposed that kids aged 9-11 who have more screen time are at a greater danger of developing self-destructive tendencies two years later on. This discovery comes in the middle of an intensifying teen mental health crisis and the introduction of brand-new legislation intending to restrict children below the age of 16 from accessing social networks platforms.
The research, released in the journal Preventive Medicine, showed that an increased period of screen time by an hour is linked to a 9% boost in the possibility of self-reporting self-destructive tendencies two years later on. The study indicated that each extra hour invested watching videos, playing video games, texting, and video chatting resulted in a greater threat of self-destructive behavior.
” Screen usage might result in social seclusion, cyberbullying, and sleep disturbance, which could aggravate mental health,” stated senior author, Jason Nagata, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. “More time on screens often displaces time for in-person interacting socially, exercise, and sleep.”