Too much screen time linked to ADHD, aggression, anxiety in children
studyfinds.org
studyfinds.org
> The increasing rate of screen time in early childhood has engendered concern among clinicians, policy makers and parents regarding its possible effects on children’s mental health,” the authors write. “This study found small but significant correlations between screen time and children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems.
Sounds like the parents are looking for validation of their pre-existing notions. Did anyone investigate that increased screen time could be the easiest accessible outlet kids have to cope with difficult situations?
Maybe - just maybe - children with ADHD, aggression and/or anxiety find a world they understand or can escape into with whatever they are watching - something that makes more sense or helps them deal with the world.
Correlation vs causation.
Video games and information about whatever is piquing my interest at the time have always been my addictions[1]. Video games have always been my escape, while subjects I am interested in just typically trigger hyperfocus.
Other than the "escape" video games provide, there is also a strong correlation between desired outcomes and effort. Much unlike real life where hard work is rarely rewarded and typically taken advantage of. I have always felt like I have had to put a lot of effort into things just to function "normally," and I do not have the make-up to excel in anything.
I know I have, and probably still do, waste a lot of time with video games and media (I should be working right now), but in some dark way it's one of the few areas in life where I feel like I can actually be halfway decent at something.
I've been a professional software engineer for almost 6 years, and I still feel like most junior devs and fresh grads could spin circles around me. I try to improve, I put in hardwork, but I have nothing to show for it.
I treat my condition(s), but at the end of the day I feel like I am just living the story of "Flowers for Algernon."
[1] I do not mean addictions as defined by medical terminology, but in a more commonly used manner.
I had always thought that anything attention-grabbing was likely involving some dopamingeric systems. It wouldn't surprise me if anything that grabs attention over a sustained amount of time could potentially lead to homeostasis-seeking mechanisms in the involved cognitive systems.
I doubt that humans / mammals evolved in a context with something often grabbed and held focused attention for hours at a time in the same way that is now routine for us to experience with phones, TV, video games, etc.
Conversely, I've wondered if some of the e benefits that some people report with medication are related to giving those systems a bit of a break.
It could end up being entirely false, but I always thought it had at least seemed plausible.
The article likely ties into the hypothesis that the occurence of the symptoms are increasing in the population. I don't know if this is true, but anecdotally as a parent I'm seeing these behaviors as more or less the norm in 4-13 year olds that I interact with, and those who don't fit this are the ones you are surprised by.