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Are Child Screen Time and Mental Health Issues Correlated? It’s Complicated…

Photo from Annie Spratt via Unsplash

Are Child Screen Time and Mental Health Issues Correlated? It’s Complicated…

By Movieguide® Contributor

Does screen time really harm a child’s mental health? An expert recently weighed in, suggesting more data is needed to prove the correlation.

“So this connection, it’s pretty controversial, and there’s a lot of debate,” Dr. Scott Kollins, the chief medical officer at Aura, told GOOD DAY PA. “There are some experts who would think that tech use, device usage, is the worst possible thing for our kid’s mental health. While on the other side of the debate, there are experts that say, wait a minute, this is a lot more complicated and more nuanced.”

In October, Psychology Today reported on a study that suggested that “kids with more screen time had more mental health issues including anxiety, depression, focus challenges, and impulsive conditions.”

However, other studies, looking specifically at social media, came to a different conclusion.

“There is not enough evidence to say that social media causes changes in adolescent health at the population level,” a study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine said. And “despite many years of research, the evidence clarifying precisely how social media influences health is limited.”

READ MORE: IS IT REALLY THAT BAD IF KIDS HAVE SCREEN TIME?

Kollins explained that “there might actually be a positive connection for some kids.” However, “where there is agreement, though, is that the research to date has its limitations, and we need better data.”

The doctor wants to find that data and is launching a study to help “clarify this important link between device usage and mental health outcomes and kids,” which your kids can participate in.

The study, through a partnership between Aura and Techwise, “is open to any family with kids between the ages of 8 and 17 who have their own smartphone or tablet.”

“Kids and their parents sign up for the study,” Kollins continued. “They get a free subscription to The Aura app, which allows for collection of the digital activity, and then they fill out forms and surveys periodically. We also compensate, parents and kids for their time participating in the study.”

READ MORE: IS SOCIAL MEDIA REALLY CAUSING THE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS?


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