Study: Children's prolonged exposure to screens increases their risk of heart disease

Children's prolonged exposure to screens 

Study: Children's prolonged exposure to screens increases their risk of heart disease

Children's excessive exposure to screens also increases their risk of metabolic problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance. A recent study conducted in Denmark has shown that children's prolonged screen time, whether on tablets, phones, or television, may increase their risk of heart disease and metabolic problems.

According to the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, "Children and young adults who spend long hours in front of screens and electronic devices may be at greater risk of heart disease and metabolic problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance."

They also face a greater risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes.Using data from groups of adolescents and young adults aged 10 to 18 (more than 1,000 adolescents) regarding their screen time and sleep habits, researchers examined the relationship between screen time and so-called cardiometabolic risk factors.

The analysis showed that every additional hour of screen time increased the risk of disease, and the gap was larger among adolescents and young adults aged 18 than among children aged 10. Furthermore, the risk was exacerbated by poor sleep.

"This means that a child who spends three hours a day in front of screens will have a quarter to half a standard deviation higher risk than their peers," said David Horner, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen and lead author of the study, in a statement.

He warned that "if we double this risk across an entire group of children, we would see a significant shift in the risk of early cardiometabolic disease, which may persist into adulthood." It should be noted that there is no consensus among researchers on the harmful effects of screens on children and adolescents, but most agree that younger children are more at risk than adults.