Finnish Research: Restriction of screen time is linked to young people's mental health

Screen time Restriction is good for the mental health of children and adolescents, says the University of Jyväskylä.

A collaborative study by the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Eastern Finland revealed that the more abundant screen time and the use of mobile devices from childhood to adolescence increase stress and depression in adolescence.

At the same time, it was found that more abundant exercise reduced the stress and depression of youth. The symptoms were clearly higher in adolescents with a lot of screen time and little exercise during childhood. However, exercise was found to have a weaker connection to the symptoms of depression.

Jyväskylä University of Children and Young People's Physical Physiology Docent Eero Haapala According to the international recommendation, the leisure time for children and adolescents should be limited to two hours a day. However, Haapala believes that it would be too much.

“Personally, I find this amount a large, as it means almost a month of screen time a year,” Haapala says in the release.

According to researchers, the cornerstone of promoting the well -being of children and adolescents would be a balanced everyday life with moderate screen time and plenty of exercise. Haapala hopes that the result of the research will arouse adults who affect young people in young people, not only to think about the screen time but also the importance of exercise in children's everyday life.

The study followed 187 children's lifestyle for eight years until they were 15-17 years old. The study was published in Jama Network Open.