A break from screens may work wonders for kids' mental health

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-07-13 01:00

International

CC-0. https://www.pexels.com/photo/multiethnic-teenagers-on-white-background-looking-away-5325742/

A Danish and UK re-analysis of the results of a previous Danish trial that looked at the effects of reducing screen time on kids' and teens' mental health found a break from screens reduced problematic behaviour and boosted good behaviour. The trial included 89 families and a total of 181 children and adolescents. Screen time was reduced in 45 families, while the others continued as normal. In families that curbed screen use, the biggest improvements were seen in young people's emotional issues, problems interacting with their peers, and in being more caring and sociable towards other people. The trial only looked at the benefits of reduced screen time in the short-term, the researchers say, so future studies should investigate whether these improvements are sustained with longer-term reductions in screen use.

Media release

From: JAMA

Screen Media Use and Mental Health of Children and Adolescents

About The Study: This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial found that a short-term reduction in leisure-time screen media use within families positively affected psychological symptoms of children and adolescents, particularly by mitigating internalizing behavioral issues and enhancing prosocial behavior. More research is needed to confirm whether these effects are sustainable in the long term.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Funder: The SCREENS studywas founded by the European Research Council (grant 716657). Dr Brage was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (grants MC_UU_12015/3 and MC_UU_00006/4) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre in Cambridge (grant IS-BRC-1215-20014).

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.