High screen time can hurt children’s learning and language skills, study suggests

Children who spend more time on screens were found to have higher ‘socioemotional’ and mental health problems, researchers found. Photograph: Imago/Alamy

The effect of high screen time on children is as significant as parental behaviour and premature birth, if not greater, a global study has found.

Researchers examined data on more than 2.8 million children across 64 countries and concluded that elevated screen exposure could affect children in areas including academic achievement and emotional problems. It is one of the largest ever studies on the subject.