According to a recent study, the time children and young people spent in front of the screen has increased significantly during the corona pandemic. An average increase of 52 percent was recorded during the pandemic, authors led by Sheri Madigan of the University of Calgary, Canada, write in the journal “JAMA.”
This equates to an average of 84 minutes per day – in addition to the pre-pandemic average of 2.7 hours per day. Overall, children and young people worldwide spent an average of 4.1 hours a day in front of the screen during the pandemic.
The increase was greatest among 12 to 18-year-olds and among computers and hand-held devices such as cell phones. The total result also included time spent on, for example, television or video games.
Data from 46 globally reviewed studies
For the study, the scientists used data from 46 previous studies, for example from Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Australia. In total, approximately 29,000 children and adolescents up to the age of 18 with a mean age of nine years were included in these studies, of whom 57 percent were male and 43 percent were female.
In response to the results of the meta-study, the authors called for discussions with children and young people about healthy use of devices and planning screen-free time.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
