Limiting screen time not enough to protect kids: study
A study has found that any measures that limit children’s use of digital platforms, including social media bans, are important to protect mental health.
A review of global evidence from more than 360,000 young people found that greater use of digital media in childhood was consistently linked to depressive symptoms and behavioral problems in later life.
Digital media is defined as any platform where users can create and consume content, including social media, video games, and messaging applications.
James Cook University lead author Sam Teague said social media was unsurprisingly the biggest area of concern.
“Digital environments are shaping child and adolescent development on a scale we’ve never seen before,” Dr Teague told AAP.
“If the evidence consistently links digital media use with poor outcomes, we should not treat this as a purely individual parenting issue.”
As children watch less broadcast media and spend more time on platforms driven by algorithms, young minds are exposed to addictive content more frequently.
Early adolescence, defined as ages 12 to 14, was the age when children were most vulnerable to mental health problems caused by social media.
The social media ban on people under 16 in Australia has been in effect since December.
While Dr Teague’s study was not designed to assess the success of the ban, he said any preventative measures were worth investigating.
But the study also found that not all interactions with digital media during adolescence are negative, with some video games associated with higher levels of attention and executive function.
Dr Teague suggested harnessing the potential benefits of online interaction with restrictions beyond typical screen time limits.
“If we leave it up to developers to decide that, I think that’s where we get into the world of maximizing engagement and maximizing profits,” he said.
