Preteens who spend too much time in front of screens have higher odds of developing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a study has found.
Their odds of developing OCD over a two-year period increased by 13% for every hour they played video games and by 11% for every hour they watched videos.
This is according to a new study led by UC San Francisco (UCSF) researchers, published on Monday in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The lead author of the study has warned parents excessive screen time can have a detrimental impact on preteens’ mental health.
“Children who spend excessive time playing video games report feeling the need to play more and more and being unable to stop despite trying,” said Jason Nagata, MD, assistant professor of paediatrics at UCSF.
“Intrusive thoughts about video game content could develop into obsessions or compulsions.”
He said watching videos can also make preteens want to compulsively view similar content.
Algorithms and advertisements can exacerbate that behaviour, he added.
OCD is a mental health condition involving recurrent and unwanted thoughts as well as repetitive behaviours a person feels driven to perform.
“Screen addictions are associated with compulsivity and loss of behavioural control, which are core symptoms of OCD,” Mr Nagata said.
Researchers asked 9,204 preteens aged nine to 10 in the US how much time they spent on different types of platforms.
The average was 3.9 hours per day.
Although screen time can have important benefits such as education and increased socialisation, parents should be aware of the potential risks, especially to mental health
Use of screens for educational purposes was excluded.
Two years later, 4.4% of preteens had developed new-onset OCD.
Video games and streaming videos were each connected to higher risk of developing OCD.
Texting, video chat and social media did not link individually with OCD, but that may be because the preteens in the sample did not use them much, researchers said.
Results may differ for older teens, they added.
In July, Mr Nagata and his colleagues discovered excessive screen time was linked to disruptive behaviour disorders in nine to 11-year-olds, with social media the biggest contributor.
In 2021, they found adolescent screen time had doubled during the pandemic.
“Although screen time can have important benefits such as education and increased socialisation, parents should be aware of the potential risks, especially to mental health,” said Mr Nagata.
“Families can develop a media use plan which could include screen-free times including before bedtime.”
