The Session: Screen Time & Your Kids

The Session with Tom Russell

Screen Time. It's become the age-old fight of the home. But how much screen time is really appropriate and healthy for our kids? Tom and Scott talk through that in this episode.

The Session: Screen Time and Our Kids Based on an article from Fox News Aug. 11, by Melissa Rudy

That’s according to a recent Denmark study led by Dr. Jesper Schmidt-Persson from the University of Southern Denmark. It looked at the effects of reduced screen media exposure on youth mental health.

Eighty-nine families with a total of 181 children and teens were randomly assigned to one of two groups.

The first group had to surrender their smartphones and tablets for a two-week period, and limit use of other screen media — such as TV and computers — to three hours or less per week, not counting work or school.

The control group did not have any limitations.

The average ages of the children ranged from 4 to 17, averaging at 8 to 9 years old.

The families filled out a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at the end of the study period that gauged the children’s psychological symptoms.

The groups that limited kids' screen exposure saw improvements in mental health — particularly in how they managed their emotions and communicated with peers in helpful, considerate ways, plus a decrease in behavioral difficulties.

"Our study provides causal evidence for a link between a family-based reduction in screen media use and improved mental well-being," Schmidt-Persson told Fox News Digital via email.

"Healthy children and adolescents benefit from reduced screen media use if parents also reduce their use," the researcher said. (iStock)

"The size of the effect was surprising to me, because we only included healthy children and adolescents," he went on.

"Thus, it is important to note that healthy children and adolescents also benefit from reduced screen media use if parents also reduce their use."

Risks of excess screen time for kids

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory related to youth social media use, emphasizing mental health concerns.

"There is evidence that children who have excessive screen time or access to social media at young ages are more likely to be depressed or anxious," Dr. Joshua Stein, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical director at PrairieCare in Minnesota, previously told Fox News Digital.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory related to social media use among youth, emphasizing mental health concerns. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

The expert cited a Gallup research study from 2023, which noted that teens who were on screens more than five hours a day were 60% more likely to express suicidal thoughts or self-harm.

"Those children were 2.8 times more likely to have a negative body view and 30% more likely to describe ‘a lot of sadness,’" added Stein, who was not involved in the Denmark research.

Access to smartphones and social media increases the risk of cyberbullying, depression, sleep-related concerns, self-harm and body image issues, according to Stein.

"It can also lower self-esteem, and can socially pressure people to act outside their morals and family beliefs," he added.

Teens who were on screens more than five hours a day were 60% more likely to express suicidal thoughts or self-h

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.