Depression

More Phone Time Linked to Depression in Youth

Computers, video games, and handheld devices have become increasingly popular among the nation’s youth. However, new research suggests that adolescents and especially children who spend more time in front of a screen are at greater risk for depression.

 

Investigators arrived at this conclusion following a study of 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health data on children aged 6 to 17 years.

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In their study, they accounted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, household income, sleep, physical and extracurricular activities, and family structure using multivariate logistic regression.

 

Based on preliminary findings, adjusted prevalence odds ratios (ORs) for depression in children aged 6 to 11 years were determined to be:

 

  • 1.37 for no use of devices compared with 0 to 1 hours of screen time.
  • 1.81 for 1 to 4 hours of screen time compared with 0 to 1 hours.
  • 3.05 for more than 4 hours compared to 0-1 hours of screen time.

 

ORs in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years were:

 

  • 1.25 for no use of devices compared with 0 to 1 hours of screen time.
  • 1.33 for 1 to 4 hours of screen time compared with 0 to 1 hours.
  • 1.73 for more than 4 hours compared to 0-1 hours of screen time.

 

“Public health interventions should seek to reduce screen time for children with less access to educational and family supports,” the authors of the study wrote.

 

The findings were presented at the American Public Health Association 2018 Annual Meeting & Expo in San Diego, California.

 

—Christina Vogt

 

Reference:

 

Dominik B, Schwerzler L, McLuckie C, Romond K. Relationship between screen time and depression in children aged 6-17. Paper presented at: American Public Health Association 2018 Annual Meeting & Expo. November 10-14, 2018. San Diego, CA.