Primary-age children’s screen time went up by 83 minutes a day during pandemic – study

The sharp rise in screen time is associated with poorer diets, poor eye health, deteriorating mental health, and behavioural problems, researchers said. Photograph: Rocklights/Alamy

Screen time during the Covid pandemic increased the most among primary schoolchildren, by an extra hour and 20 minutes a day on average, according to the first global review of research.

The sharp rise in screen time was associated with poorer diets in children, poor eye health, deteriorating mental health including anxiety, and behavioural problems such as aggression, irritability and increased frequency of temper tantrums, researchers said.