Too much time glued to screens could lead to suicidal behaviour in children, a new study reveals. Each additional hour of screen time is linked with a nine per cent higher risk of suicidal behaviour two years later among children aged nine to 11. In particular, an extra hour watching videos, playing video games, texting, and video chatting can have a worrying impact.
Senior author, Dr Jason Nagata, an assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, said: “Screen usage could lead to social isolation, cyberbullying, and sleep disruption, which could worsen mental health. More time on screens often displaces time for in person socialising, physical activity, and sleep.”
According to The Health Foundation: “Among those aged six to 16 in England, one in six had a probable mental health condition in 2021, up from one in nine in 2017."
