effects of screen time in children

Running head: EFFECTS OF SCREEN TIME

Effects of Screen Time in Children

Christopher Brown

ETD 624

Saginaw Valley State University

EFFECTS OF SCREEN TIME

Table of Contents

Abstract............................................................................................................................................3

Effects of Screen Time in Children.................................................................................................4

Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cardiovascular Risks..........................................................4

Sleep............................................................................................................................................7

Psychosocial and Behavioral Impacts.........................................................................................8

Conclusion/Interventions.............................................................................................................8

References......................................................................................................................................11

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Abstract

As technology use and screen time became even more of a fixture in our society, it was critical

that we look at the effects that increased technology use and screen time have, especially on our

children. The effect of screen time had been studied and increases in technology; television,

video games, and other sedentary behaviors were hurting youth all around the world. Screen time

and technology use was more dominant than it had ever been and it was still rising. At home and

in our schools, children were in front of screens more than ever. What are the impacts of these

increased amounts of screen time? Whether the physical health issues (obesity, metabolic

syndrome, and cardiovascular risk), the impact on sleep, or psychosocial/behavioral, these

effects were very real and they needed to take a serious look at them, as well as possible

interventions to these large increased amounts of screen time and technology use to make sure

our children were developing and growing in the most positive ways possible.

Keywords: screen time, health, children, effects, technology

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Effects of Screen Time in Children

Technology was becoming more and more prevalent in all aspects of human life, both

personally and professionally. The amount of screen time required for schoolwork and the

amount that was spent for leisure activities are ever growing. Whether it was computers,

television, video games, or mobile devices, like cell phones, children were being exposed to

more technology and screen time at younger ages and with that comes a multitude of impacts on

the current and future health of the children. The effects of screen time and technology use in

children were well studied and documented. Unfortunately, many parents were either unaware of

these research studies or choose to ignore the facts about what increased screen time can do to

their children. A variety of health issues in children have shown correlation with increased

amounts of screen time through a number of different research studies. Obesity, sleep,

cardiovascular health, as well as other negative behavioral impacts had all been studied and

shown to correlate with the amount of screen time and technology use in children. The specific

results varied among the different studies as to how much of an effect screen time had, but the

overall message had been the same; as screen time reached above recommended levels for that

age group, adverse health effects became more frequent. Along with the studies presented on the

adverse effects on screen time, many of these studies had also presented evidence of possible

interventions to combat these health problems associated with screen time.

Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cardiovascular Risks

Increased obesity, risk of metabolic syndrome, and higher cardiac risks were dominant

health effects associated with increased amount of screen time. Adolescent obesity had tripled in

the past 30 years in the United States. (Boone, Gordon-Larson, Adair, & Popkin, 2007) Screen

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time and technology use, both sedentary behaviors, were positively related to obesity,

particularly in youth, across multiple studied on the subject. Studies conducted in the United

States generally set a recommendation that children do not participate in more than two hours a

day of screen time, and these limits were also confirmed by the American Physicians

Association. (Anderson, Economos, & Must, 2008) Sedentary behaviors, like screen time, that

lead to obesity, were not just an issue in the United States, but internationally as well. An

international study published in 2015 showed a positive correlation between screen time and a

child’s body fat percentage. (LeBlanc et al., 2015) This study took sample sets of children from

12 different countries, on six of the seven continents, and the children from all 12 countries

yielded results that showed a positive association between increased screen time leading to

increased risk of obesity. As children surpassed these recommended limits and increased their

screen time, the risk for obesity also increased. One particular study showed that those who

reported more than four hours per day of screen time, which is double the recommended limit set

by the American Physicians Association, had double the chances of being classified as

overweight regardless of the amount of physical activity level. (Pate, O’Neill, & Lobelo, 2008)

Metabolic syndrome, which was often connected to obesity, was also presented as

another large risk associated with adolescent screen time. Metabolic syndrome included risk of

Type 2 diabetes, as well as other chronic health risks and increased risk of premature mortality.

(Mark, & Janssen, 2008) The study by Mark and Janssen (2008) in which over 1000 young

people were studied, showed that 75% of that sample were above the two hour recommend

amount of daily screen time. The results showed a “gradient dose-response” related to the

amount of screen time per day, the increase in daily screen time showed increased risk of

metabolic syndrome. Of the over 1000 study subjects, those whose screen time was 50% greater

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than the daily recommendation of two hours per day, which was an average of three hours or

more per day, those individuals were shown to have a two to three times greater risk of metabolic

syndrome, and associated issues, like Type 2 diabetes. Like the previously presented studies on

screen time and its impact on obesity, increased risk of metabolic syndrome as it related to

screen time and technology use, was shown to be independent of the physical activity level of

those studied.

Cardiovascular risks were also connected to metabolic syndrome and obesity. These

cardiovascular issues, such as, increased levels of cholesterol, high risk of cardiovascular disease

(CVD), issues with blood pressure, and overall cardiorespiratory health had all been documented

as risks associated with increase screen time. A study from the European Journal of Preventive

Cardiology showed that increases in the total screen time of children was consistent with

increased risk of CVD, raised cholesterol, lower cardiorespiratory fitness, and higher blood

pressure. (Grontved et al. 2012) The connection between screen time and being associated with

cardiovascular issues had not been shown to be solely responsible, but studies like Grontved et

al. (2012) and others, mentioned screen time and other sedentary behaviors related to poor

dietary choices, along with the screen time increases, resulted in increased cardiovascular risk.

Childhood obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular risks were associated factors

that were all prevalent in studies associated with a child’s screen time habits and their overall

quality of health as an adolescent and then as an adult. Many of these health effects were not

shown in the children at the time of the study, but some of the health issues would not be shown

until later in adulthood. These serious health risks, that had been related, at least in part, to an

increased mortality rate, start in childhood, and screen time clearly showed an impact on these

different health effects and the long-term results therein.

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SleepScreen time effects on sleep had been researched as to how it related to children. Higher

amounts of screen time and technology use had shown a strong connection with shorter sleep

durations. (De Jong et al., 2013) The study showed not only was the amount of sleep shorter, but

the sleep was often interrupted, due to the fact that the users brain was still active from the

technology use that occurred. The more time spent in front of the television, on the computer, or

on a handheld, mobile device, all lead to shorter, often interrupted, sleep for the user, especially

if that screen time and technology use happened in the hours immediately before bedtime.

(Gamble et al. 2014) More screen time use lead to more severe levels sleep time disturbances

impacted academic achievement. (Tenson, Linson, & Mathias, 2014) Another study showed

shorter amounts of sleep had in turn showed similar negative effects on academic achievement as

well as potential long-term health impairments. One particular study by Ham, Sung, and Kim

(2013) showed an increase in screen time lead to a decrease in sleep duration that was shown to

decrease the student’s confidence to do well and perform in school as well as an increase in

student stress levels. Decreased student confidence and increased stress, combined with lack of

sleep to provide the student’s ability to focus on the instruction being presented, created an

almost non-functioning student when all of these effects combined.

Postponed sleep and/or wake times, as well as an overall wake delay had all been shown

to have an association with increased screen time amounts. (Gamble et al. 2014) Gamble et al.

(2014) reported that, “Over 70% of adolescents reported 2 or more electronic devices in their

bedroom at night.” This large percentage of in-room devices and their use showed dose-

dependent correlations of postponed sleep time, the more technology and screen time the user

had before bed, the longer it took for them to fall asleep once the device had stopped being used.

This lag in sleep and wake schedules, along with the amount of time it took to wake up (wake lag

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or wake delay) was associated with negative impacts on the student’s academic success, one

study specifically showed significant declines in their “verbal memory performance.” (Tenson,

Linson, & Mathias, 2014)

Besides the direct impacts of technology use on sleep, lack of sleep duration, levels and

amounts of sleep disturbances, and an irregular sleep scheduled had indirectly associated with a

number of other health issues like obesity. (De Jong et al. 2013) Which as previously stated, was

one of the most dominant health risks of screen time. The effect of technology use on sleep had

clearly showed a negative impact on overall physical health in the long-term and negative impact

on academic performance in the short and long term.

Psychosocial and Behavioral Impacts

Screen time had clearly shown an impact on physical health, but mental health and behavior had

been negatively impacted as well. Today’s media was full of images and themes that were not

age appropriate for those young people using them. Televisions shows, video games, and the

Internet had allowed children access to more violence, sexual content, alcohol and drug use, and

many other inappropriate themes. (Mark, Boyce, & Janssen, 2006) The exposure to more adult

themes had desensitized children to them. Many parents had disregarded, or were not vigilant

enough in monitoring what their children were watching or the games they were playing. The

most violent video games were the most popular sellers and children made up the majority of

those sales. The students who spent their time in those sedentary behaviors, particularly when the

themes of those behaviors were not age-appropriate, showed higher levels of emotional

difficulties and depressive symptoms. (Kremer et al., 2014) Screen time had also been connected

to decreases in school performance, getting in trouble, as well as feeling bored or unhappy.

(Maniccia, Davison, Marshall, Manganello, & Dennison, 2011)

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Conclusion/Interventions

Research showed the variety of effects that screen time had on children. Increased screen

time was clearly associated with serious, if not fatal, health risks. The lack of sleep and disrupted

sleep schedule impacted the physical health as well as educational growth of the individual. The

psychosocial and behavioral impacts that existed with increased screen time were vast. As future

generations were introduced to technology and screen time en mass, it was the responsibility of

the current generations to work at combatting the negative effects of screen time on the children.

Many current studies about the effects on screen time had recommended a variety of

different interventions to fight the growing epidemic of screen time and sedentary behaviors and

their effects on children. Studies had showed that a simple reduction of a child’s screen time

reduced the previously stated effects. These reductions had been shown to increase mood, and

sleep and lead to better educational performance. (Rusby, Westling, Crowley, & Light, 2013;

Tenson, Linson, & Mathias, 2014). Multiple studies discussed that intervention and public health

programs to reduce a child’s screen time should be implemented. (Maniccia, Davison, Marshall,

Manganello, & Dennison, 2011; Mark, Boyce, & Janssen, 2006; Mark, & Janssen, 2008) Other

studies discussed benefit of programs that not only decreased a child’s screen time, but also

replaced that screen time with physical activity. (Berentzen et al., 2014; Epstein et al, 2008;

Kremer et al., 2014; Lacy et al., 2012; Melkvik, Torsheim, Iannotti, & Wold, 2010; Pate,

O’Neill, & Lobelo, 2008) Other research had discussed the need to have interventions targeted at

parents to reduce their screen time habits and set acceptable limits for their children through

leading by example, stating that if a parent(s) decreased screen time that children’s would as

well. (De Jong et al., 2013; Jago et al., 2014)

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Interventions, like the effects, were various, but the increased screen time of children

were growing at such a rate that interventions must be introduced to insure the health and well-

being of generations that were to grow up in this technology rich society.

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References

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Boone, J., Gordon-Larsen, P., Adair, L., & Popkin, B. (2007). Screen time and physical activity

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De Jong, E., Visscher, T. L. S., Hirasing, R. A., Heymans, M. W., Seidell, J. C., & Renders, C.

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