According to a new India based study, the impact of screen time on child behaviour is very concerning to say the least. The growing dependence on mobile phones among young children and teenagers has led to a surge in behavioural issues, including and not limited to anxiety.
What is alarming, is that children as young as just seven years (yes, seven!) showcased the extreme impact of excessive screen time, which had a detrimental effect on their behaviour.
Let’s look at the study in a little more detail.
Table of Contents
About The Study
Highlighting this alarming trend, a study and an OPD analysis conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal revealed that 24.9 per cent of teenagers in the state of Madhya Pradesh were struggling with anxiety.
In one case for instance, a seven-year old boy who was too engaged with screen time could barely speak. The condition was so severe, that until recently, he communicated only with strange sounds, which was a consequence of him spending up to eight hours on mobile phones – every day!
The family of the young boy had spent lakhs of rupees (1 lakh Indian Rupees is approximately US$ 1200) on treatment, but could find only limited success. Thankfully, therapy at AIIMS Bhopal gradually improved his condition.
The boy’s mother recounted:
“Earlier, he would not speak at all and only made strange sounds, spending almost the entire day on the phone.”
What More Did The AIIMS Study Reveal?
The two-year study, which was conducted on 413 teenagers between the ages of 14 to 19, analysed the data of their social media usage behaviour – both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The findings of the analysis revealed that:
- 25 per cent were anxious
- 56 per cent were impatient, and
- 59 per cent displayed frequent anger issues.
Many also suffered from multiple behavioural issues simultaneously.
One of the researchers at AIIMS, highlighted that:
“Excessive screen time is leading to issues like delayed speech in younger children and irritability, obesity, and aggression in adolescents. Parents often underestimate the adverse effects of prolonged gadget use.”
What Are The Screen Time Guidelines for Toddlers?
The following are the guidelines for screen time for toddlers and young children, including teenagers, offered by the World Health Organization (WHO):
- Children under 2 years: No screen time, except occasional video calls.
- Children aged 2 to 5 years: Screen time should not exceed 1 hour daily.
- Older children and teenagers: Screen time must be balanced with physical and social activities.
One of the Heads of a Department (HoD) at AIIMS advised that:
“Parents to engage children in alternative activities, including family interactions and outdoor play, to reduce gadget dependency”.
As regards the one hour of screen time for children aged 2 to 5, it is important that parents are always conscious about the fact that screen time is not limited to just smartphones but television and laptop too. Most of all, they should learn the right way to have screen time along with their child, and never leave the child alone with the screen!
Apart from WHO, UNICEF has underlined that screens not only curtail their ability to control their impulses, they could also make them less empathetic in nature.
Conclusion
This research not only underscores the alarming impact of screen time on child behaviour, it also underscores the urgent need for parents, educators, and policymakers to address the growing health crisis fuelled by digital dependency not only among teenagers, but also among young children who are not even 8!
Though the studies were conducted on teenagers, what is important to remember is that if toddlers grow up in an environment where they have very little family time, and hardly play outdoors, but have unrestricted screen time; it is just a matter of time when it could manifest in the form of adverse behaviours – years before they enter their teenage!