Can Screen Time Cause Anxiety in Children

Living nowadays can be described as life in front of the screens. It’s almost as if kids depend on blue light from screens as a source of happiness and joy.

Stuck in front of their screens, kids become part of a virtual world and replace nature and toys with tablets and phones.

And when we talk about children and technology, we often hear the term screen time. Well, screen time is the number of hours kids spend on different tech devices such as computers, laptops, TVs, consoles, and smartphones. There are five types of screen time:

Passive screen time (watching TV, videos, listening to music);
Interactive screen time (playing video games and browsing the Internet);
Communication (social media);
Creative content creation (creating arts, crafts, music);
Educational;

Many studies and statistics have backed up the undeniable fact about the high prevalence of excessive screen time usage among kids.

Excessive screen time usage can cause serious damage to kids’ mental health and behavior. So, a big question is whether screen time can cause anxiety in kids.

Understanding Anxiety in Children

Anxiety in kids can be defined as the constant, repetitive, and intense feeling of fear, as a reaction to something that happened. Signs and symptoms of anxiety in kids are:

Constant fear, worrying, and negative thoughts;
Insomnia and nightmares;
Eating disorder;
Low concentration, focus, and memory;
Get easily upset, nervous, or angry;
Stomach problems and headaches;

There are also different types of anxiety in kids. They are:

Generalized anxiety disorder– is characterized by persistent worrying and fear;
Social anxiety disorder– is characterized by a constant and intense fear of communication and interaction;
Panic attack disorder– is characterized by unexpected and impulsive panic attacks;
Phobias– are characterized by extreme fears of some particular objects or creatures;

Understanding Screen Time in Children

Screen time is a sedentary activity that includes watching TV, videos, communicating, and playing video games. Kids are physically inactive, which has negative effects on their physical health.

Too much screen time lowers children’s immune systems and causes vision problems, posture problems, neck pain, and headache.

Besides physical health, excessive screen time harms mental health as well. Kids that spend many hours in front of screens lower their ability to concentrate, focus, memorize, analyze, and develop low thinking and problem-solving skills. This means that excessive screen time lower kids’ cognitive development.

The Link Between Screen Time and Anxiety

Studies show that screen time often makes children isolate themselves, which leads to screen addiction that causes stress, depression, and extreme anxiety.

On the other hand, some other studies show that screen time is not directly linked with developing anxiety in kids.

Also, different types of content can have a different impact on children’s anxiety. For example, playing aggressive video games or watching violent videos can upper the chance of kids developing extreme anxiety.

Nonetheless, we as parents and caregivers need to limit our little ones’ screen time and encourage our kids to have more outdoor activities with friends and family.

Factors that Influence the Impact of Screen Time on Anxiety

The source of kids’ anxiety is related to stressful situations that kids can’t overcome and manage. Many factors influence the impact of screen time on anxiety, which we’ll cover in the following paragraphs.

· Age and Developmental Stage of the Child

Younger kids are not mature enough to face all the violent content they come across on their screens and often develop fears and anxiety attacks.

Teens, on the other hand, are mature enough to handle what they see on their screens, but they can be inspired to try and copy that aggressive behavior.

Also, teens are often insecure about themselves, so cyberbullying can also be a cause of stress and anxiety.

· Amount and Type of Screen Time

Excessive screen time can cause isolation, behavioral changes, and increased levels of anxiety and depression.

Also, the type of content your children are exposed to is another factor. Luckily, parents can control what type of content their children are exposed to, and how much screen time they have.

· Parental Involvement and Control

A rational parent recognizes the link between kids’ screen time and anxiety. So, parents or caregivers, whenever you notice that your children are insecure and anxious, react quickly, especially if the source of anxiety and stress is tech devices.

· Screen Time and the Child’s Social Environment

Excessive screen usage lowers children’s ability to develop social skills and improve their face-to-face communication.

Unhealthy screen time habits make kids replace physical activity and verbal communication with a constant sedentary position and nonverbal virtual interaction.

Managing Screen Time to Prevent Anxiety

Prevention is the best cure. Therefore, parents need to convince their kids to set boundaries, limit screen time, and develop healthy screen time habits.

Managing screen time and encouraging indoor and outdoor activities, and interaction with family and friends reduces the possibility of children developing anxiety. Parental must supervise and control the type of content their kids watch and the time they spend on their screens.

Coping with Anxiety Caused by Screen Time

Once your kid starts showing behavioral changes, such as anxiety caused by excessive screen time, you must interfere and take control of the situation.

Conclusion

Technology development moves fast, so parents need to be informed about all the possible negative impacts of screen time on kids’ health.

The bottom line is that there must be a balance between kids’ screen time and other activities. So, encourage your little ones to engage in outdoor activities and be there for your kids.