Language delay, attention disorders, obesity … Excessive use of screens by children can have consequences on their health. A new risk is added to this list, according to a Danish study published in the Journal of the American Heart.
Danish researchers reveal that children spending too much time in front of screens, whether phones, tablets or televisions, have an increased risk of developing heart and metabolic diseases.
An increased risk of high blood pressure
The researchers have tracked down time on screens and sleep habits of more than 1,000 children aged 10 and 18. They also analyzed the links between time spent on metabolic screens and risk factors. Their conclusions are final: ” Children and young adults who spend excessive hours glued to screens and electronic devices may have higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases, such as high blood pressure,Hypercholesterolemia and the résistance to insulin. »»
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart, reveals that each hour spent in front of a screen is associated with an increase in the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, both in children and in adolescents. “” This means that a child spending three overtime in front of one screen per day would have an increased risk of 25 % at 50 %, compared to its peers which are not as exposed to screens “Said the principal author, David Horner, researcher at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The latter is concerned about these results, which potentially concern many children and adolescents today.
« Multiply this result on the entire population of children and you get a significant modification of the early cardiometabolic risk, capable of continuing in adulthood “Added David Horner.
But that’s not all, these children and young adults would have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease or diabetes in adulthood, the researchers noted.
Health effects accentuated by lack of sleep
The researchers also noticed that this association between the weather passed in front of the screens and risks cardiometabolic and cardiovascular was more important in children and adolescents whose sleeping duration was shorter.
« These results underline the importance of jointly taking into account the time spent in front of a screen and sleep habits in the assessment of risk factors related to cardiometabolic and cardiovascular health at the beginning of life “concluded scientists.
The scientific community is divided on the potential harmful effects of screens on children and adolescents, but the majority agree that younger populations are more at risk than adults.