While it is always wise to reduce the screen time for children, the findings of a novel study say otherwise. The novel study claims that boys who play video games regularly at the age of 11 are less likely to develop depressive symptoms three years later. The study, led by a UCL researcher, was published in Psychological Medicine. He also found that girls who spend more time on social media appear to develop lower symptoms.
Taken together, the findings show how different types of screen time can have a positive or negative impact on young people’s mental health, and can affect boys and girls differently. Lead author, Ph.D. Student Aaron Kandola (UCL Psychiatry) said: “Shadows allow us to engage in a wide range of activities. Instructions and suggestions about screen time should be based on our understanding of how to these different activities may affect mental health and whether that effect is meaningful.
“While we cannot determine whether playing video games actually improves mental health, our study did not appear to be harmful and may have some benefits. Especially during the pandemic, video games has been an important social platform for young people. “We must. reduce the time children – and adults – spend sitting down, for their physical and mental health, but that does not mean that screen use is really harmful. “
Kandola has led previous studies finding that sedentary behavior (sitting still) appeared to increase the risk of depression and anxiety in adolescents. To gain more insight into what drives that relationship, he and his colleagues chose to study screen time because it is responsible for a lot of silent behavior in adolescents.
Other studies have found mixed results, many of which did not differentiate between different screen time types, compare gender, or follow such a large group of young people over several years. The research team from UCL, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) and the Baker Institute of Heart and Diabetes (Australia) reviewed data from 11,341 teenagers who are part of the Millennium Cohort Study, sample which is a national representative of young people who have been involved in research since birth in the UK in 2000-2002.
Study participants had answered questions about their time spent on social media, playing video games, or using the internet, at the age of 11, and had also answered questions about symptoms. depression, such as low mood, loss of pleasure and poor concentration, at age 14. The clinical questionnaire measures the symptoms of depression and their severity on a spectrum, rather than providing a diagnosis. clinical.
In the analysis, the research team outlined other factors that may have explained the findings, such as socioeconomic status, levels of physical activity, reports of bullying, and previous emotional symptoms. The researchers found that boys who played video games most days had 24 percent fewer symptoms of depression, three years later than boys who played smaller video games. than once a month, although this effect was only significant among boys with low levels of physical activity, and was not found among girls. The researchers say this may suggest that less active boys may have more enjoyment and social interaction from video games.
Although their study cannot determine whether the relationship is causal, the researchers say there are some positive aspects of video games that may support mental health, such as problem-solving, and social elements, such as -operative and attractive. There may be other explanations for the link between video games and depression, such as differences in social communication or parenting styles, for which the researchers did not have data. They also lacked data on screen hours per day, so they cannot determine whether several hours of screen time could affect the risks of depression.
The researchers found that girls (but not boys) who used social media most days at age 11 had 13 percent more symptoms of depression three years later than those who used social media less than once a month, although they did not find an association for more moderate use of social media. Other studies have found similar trends before, and researchers have suggested that frequent use of social media may increase feelings of social isolation.
Patterns of screen use between boys and girls may have influenced the decisions, as boys in the study played video games more often than girls and used social media less frequently. The researchers did not find clear links between general internet use and depressive symptoms in all genders. The lead author of Dr. Mats Hallgren (Karolinska Institutet) has conducted other studies in adults finding that psychoactive forms, such as playing video games or working at a computer, may not affect the risk of depression in the a way that more tolerable forms of screen time seem to do.
He said: “The relationship between screen time and mental health is complex, and we still need more research to help understand it. Any initiatives to reduce young people’s screen time should be focused and promoted.Our research identifies potential benefits of screen time, however, we should still encourage young people to be physically active and break long periods of sitting with light physical activity. ”
