When all you feel is guilt: A letter to new working moms

If you’ve internalized some parental guilt about your own child’s screen time usage, you’re not alone. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to significant amounts of screen time in children leads to an increased risk of depression and behavioral issues, poor sleep and obesity, among other outcomes. Knowing all this can mean you’re swallowing a big gulp of guilt every time you unlock the iPad or turn on the TV for your kiddo.

But is screen time really that bad? New research says maybe not. A study published in September 2021 of 12,000 9- and 10-year-olds found that even when school-aged kids spend up to 5 hours per day on screens (watching TV, texting or playing video games), it doesn’t appear to be that harmful to their mental health.

Researchers found no association between screen usage and depression or anxiety in children at this age.

In fact, kids who had more access to screen time tended to have more friends and stronger peer relationships, most likely thanks to the social nature of video gaming, social media and texting.

The correlations between screen time and children’s health

But those big social benefits come with a caveat. The researchers also noted that kids who used screens more frequently were in fact more likely to have attention problems, impacted sleep, poorer academic performance and were more likely to show aggressive behavior.

Without a randomized controlled trial, it’s hard to nail down these effects as being caused directly by screens. The study’s authors analyzed data from a nationwide study known as the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study), the largest long-term study of brain development and children’s health in the country. They relied on self-reported levels of screen time from both children and adults (it’s funny to note that those reported numbers differed slightly depending on who was asked… ).

It’s important to remember that these outcomes are just correlations—not causations. “We can’t say screen time causes the symptoms; instead, maybe more aggressive children are given screen devices as an attempt to distract them and calm their behavior,” says Katie Paulich, lead author of the study and a PhD student in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. Also worth noting is that a child’s socioeconomic status has a 2.5-times-bigger impact on behavior than screens.

Weighing the benefits with the risks will be up to you as the parent, who knows your child best. And because we live in a digital world, screens are here to stay, meaning parents often have little choice in the matter. It’s impossible to say whether recreational screen time is fully “good” or “bad” for kids. It’s maybe both.

“When looking at the strength of the correlations, we see only very modest associations,” says Paulich. “That is, any association between screen time and the various outcomes, whether good or bad, is so small it’s unlikely to be important at a clinical level.” It’s all just part of the overall picture.

A novel look at screen time in adolescents

The researchers cite a lack of studies examining the relationship between screen time and health outcomes in this specific early-adolescence age group, which is one of the reasons why this study is so groundbreaking. The findings don’t apply to younger children—or older adolescents, who may be starting to go through puberty.

Screen time guidelines do exist for toddlers up to older kids, but up to 1.5 hours per day seems unattainable for many young adolescents, who often have their own smartphones and laptops, or at least regular access to one.

Of course, more research is needed, but that’s where this study can be helpful. The ABCD study will follow the 12,000 participants for another 10 years, following up with annual check-ins. It’ll be interesting to see how the findings change over time: Will depression and anxiety as a result of screen time be more prevalent as kids age? We’ll have to wait and see.

The bottom line? Parents should still be the gatekeepers of their child’s screen time in terms of access and age-appropriateness, but, “our early research suggests lengthy time on screen is not likely to yield dire consequences,” says Paulich.

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