By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A new study has found that children who spend more than two hours per day watching television or playing computer games are at greater risk for psychological problems.
FoxNews.com is reporting that a study of 1,000 children conducted by the UK’s University of Bristol found that children who spend more than two hours per day in front of a screen – either television of computer – have a 60 percent greater risk of experiencing significant psychological difficulties.
The effect was seen regardless of sex, age, stage of puberty, or level of educational or economic deprivation.
Researchers tested to see if the level of physical activity might offset these risks, and found that it did not. However, psychological problems did tend to increase in children who spent less than an hour a day in moderate to rigorous exercise.
“We know that physical activity is good for both physical and mental health in children and there is some evidence that screen viewing is associated with negative behaviors,” lead researcher Dr. Angie Page of the University of Bristol told Reuters Health in an e-mail. “But it wasn’t clear whether having high physical activity levels would ‘compensate’ for high levels of screen viewing in children.”
The children, ages 10 and 11, participated in the study by completing a questionnaire reporting how much time they spent in front of the television or computer. They were also asked to describe their mental state, including their emotional, behavioral, and/or peer-related problems. An accelerometer was used to measure their physical activity.
The researchers also found that sedentary time itself was not related to mental wellbeing. “It seems more like what you are doing in that sedentary time that is important,” said Page, noting the lack of negative effect found for activities such as reading and doing homework.
Scientists independent of the study say more controlled trials are necessary to confirm the results.
Dr. Thomas N. Robinson of the Stanford University School of Medicine, told Fox he had conducted a similar study in which limited screen time reduced weight gain, aggression and consumer behaviors in children.
“There are already lots of reasons to reduce kids’ screen time and this is potentially another,” said Robinson about the Bristol study. “In our studies we find that giving children a screen-time budget and helping them stick to that budget is the most effective way to reduce their television, video game, computer and other screen time, and to improve their health as a result.”
He recommends no more than an hour a day and says both parents and their children have reported positive effects on their families’ lives by following this rule.
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