Ways Screen Time Affect Your Child’s Mental Health

Sharon Moore August 27, 2015

Moody. Restless. Having strange cravings. Unable to focus. These qualities are often used to describe people diagnosed with mental health disorder, such as addiction. But they may also perfectly illustrate how many kids react after watching a two-hour Disney film.

It is not surprising to see children as young as two or three to be well-versed in using mobile phones and electronic devices like tablets and laptops. From turning on the device to browsing animated clips on videos, they seem to get the hand of it so easily. Unfortunately, too much screen time may actually be taking a huge toll on their mental health. In fact, in 2012, ‘internet use disorder’ (IUD) has been added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association. Many studies have shown that not only does screen time become a habit that has a negative impact to our life, but it also creates notable changes in brain chemistry, particularly, in the release of dopamine.

While having your kids watch movie while you do your thing (work, house chores, etc.), it really isn’t a good idea. Below are some of the top ways that screen time affect your child’s mental health:

It induces stress reactions. Too much viewing time activates your child’s stress hormones, particularly cortisol. Such hormone, is responsible for feelings of anxiety, irritability and depression. In addition, screen time suppresses brain’s frontal lobe – area where mood regulation actually takes place.

It reduces exposure to natural mood enhancers. Sure thing, their favourite cartoon characters can make children laugh and giggle. But only for a short period of time. Kids who stay indoors watching movies has exposure to natural mood enhancers, such as spending time with nature and sunlight – which both lower stress, and reduce aggression.

It disrupts their body clock. Sleep is critical to your child’s health and development. That is why doctors advise allowing them to sleep for 8-9 hours each night. Because the light from screen devices mimics daytime, it suppresses the hormone called ‘melatonin’ which induces sleep and released by darkness. Just minutes of screen stimulation can already delay melatonin release by several hours and keep your child’s body clock out of whack.

It dramatically impairs mood. Electronic devices emit blue light, which has been linked to depression and even suicide risk in numerous studies. It also affects the portion of the brain that is responsible for empathy, the ability to read subtle non-verbal cues, as well as face-to-face interactions.

Allowing them to enjoy life like the ‘good old days’ – where most kids would stay under the sun, run, interact with their peers, and enjoy nature – is and has always been the best way to keep your child busy and expand their learning. Not only that, by limiting their screen time and adding more hours for physical activities, your child will surely become healthier and so much happier!