A new study from Denmark, published in August, talks about the health problems that can come from kids spending too much time in front of screens. It shows that too much screen time, like on phones or TVs, can raise the chances of heart issues and metabolic diseases.
Metabolic diseases change how our bodies use and store food for energy. This can lead to high levels of sugar or fat in the blood, which may cause serious health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
The study looked at more than 1,000 young people aged 10 to 18. It tracked how much time they spent on screens and how well they slept. The researchers wanted to understand how screen time affects health risks related to the heart and metabolism.
“Children and young adults who spend excessive hours glued to screens and electronic devices may have higher risks for cardiometabolic diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance,” said the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The findings show that spending more time looking at screens is linked to a higher chance of getting heart diseases or diabetes. In simple terms, for every extra hour you spend on screens each day, your risk of these diseases goes up.
David Horner, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, noted that a child who spends three extra hours on screens each day is at a greater risk compared to their peers.
“Multiply that across a whole population of children, and you’re looking at a meaningful shift in early cardiometabolic risk that could carry into adulthood,” Horner added.
Many researchers have different views about how screens can be harmful to kids and teens aged 10 to 19, but most agree that younger people are more at risk than adults. The World Health Organization says that babies under one year should not use screens at all (see graphic).
