TOO much time glued to a screen could damage your kids’ brains, docs have warned.
A new study reveals more than an hour a day on tablets, smartphones and TV can cause speech, thinking and reading problems, in children under six.
It comes after the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health reassured parents earlier this year.
They told parents to worry less about the amount of screen time their kids have, after another study suggested it wasn’t as harmful as previously feared.
But, they stressed, it’s important for kids to get enough exercise, sleep and family time as well.
The new findings, suggest parents may have some cause for concern if their kids are glued to devices all hours of the day.
But scientists in the US said much more research is needed, to find out if the brain changes are as a direct result of screen time.
Lead author John Hutton, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, said: “Screen-based media use is prevalent and increasing in home, childcare and school settings at ever younger ages.
“The findings highlight the need to understand effects of screen time on the brain, particularly during stages of dynamic brain development in early childhood.”
Dr Hutton said the results should help parents and policymakers set “healthy limits”.
They judged screen time in terms of the Amercian Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) guidelines, which stipulate:
Dr Hutton’s team assessed 47 healthy kids – 27 girls and 20 boys – aged between three and five years old.
The children took part in standard tests and had MRI tests to check the brain’s white matter.
And their parents filled out a 15-point questionnaire.
Dr Hutton’s team found those children who spent the most time on electronic devices or watching TV, were more likely to have lower expressive language.
They were also more likely to struggle to name photos of objects – suggesting their brain processing speed is slower.
They were also prone to poor literacy.
Dr Hutton said 28 of the kids, or six in ten, had their own phone or tablet and 19 (41 per cent) had a TV or portable device in their bedroom.
“To our knowledge, this study is the first to describe structural neurobiological links to screen-based media use in preschool-aged children,” he said.
Scientists believe screen time fails to stimulate the brain in the same way as reading books and can reduce sleep – which is essential for a child’s development.
Dr Hutton said: “This study raises questions as to whether at least some aspects of screen-based media use in early childhood may provide sub-optimal stimulation during this rapid, formative state of brain development.”
The researchers found kids hooked on screens had less white matter – the part of the brain that enables communication between neurons.
This can impair brain organisation and the formation of myelin – a protective sheath around nerves that allows impulse to move quickly.
Dr Hutton’s team noted harm involving parts of the brain responsible for language and literacy skills, the findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, show.
“While we can’t yet determine whether screen time causes these structural changes or implies long-term neuro-developmental risks, these findings warrant further study to understand what they mean and how to set appropriate limits on technology use,” he said.
“In a single generation, through what has been described as a vast ‘uncontrolled experiment’, the landscape of childhood has been digitised, affecting how children play, learn and form relationships.
“In addition to traditional programming, rapidly emerging technologies, particularly portable electronic devices, provide unprecedented access to a wide range of media.
“Use begins in infancy and increases with age, and it was recently estimated at more than two hours per day in children younger than nine years, aside from use during childcare and school.
“This study found an association between increased screen-based media use, compared with the AAP guidelines, and lower micro-structural integrity of brain white matter tracts supporting language and emergent literacy skills in pre-kindergarten children.
“Given that screen-based media use is ubiquitous and increasing in children in home, childcare, and school settings, these findings suggest the need for further study to identify the implications for the developing brain, particularly during stages of dynamic brain growth in early childhood.”
Last year another US study found children who spent the most time on screens had around a five per cent lower cognitive function than other eight to 11-year-olds.
British experts are sceptical about the dangers of screen-time in children and have criticised the quality of scientific evidence.
More than half of three to four-year-olds in the UK use the internet every week – and one in five have their own tablet.
