A recent study published in JAMA tracked nearly 4,300 children over four years to understand the impact of screen time on mental health. Surprisingly, the total screen time alone did not correlate with suicidal behaviors. Instead, it was the perceived addictive nature of screen use that led to negative mental health outcomes. Children showing increasing addictive behaviors regarding social media and gaming were found to have much higher risks for mental health issues by the time they reached age 14. The findings emphasize the importance of focusing on addiction rather than just screen time duration.
"High or increasing trajectories of addictive use of social media, mobile phones, or video games were common in early adolescents. Both high and increasing addictive screen use trajectories were associated with suicidal behaviors and ideation and worse mental health."
"In other words, a child that can easily put a phone or video game down after being online for hours generally fares better than a child who only spent an hour on screens but found it hard to log off."
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