Excessive screen time in children, teens linked to higher heart risks: Study

Children and teenagers who spend long hours on recreational screen activities may face elevated risk for cardiometabolic issues such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and insulin resistance, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The American Heart Association’s report warned that cardiometabolic problems are emerging at younger ages, with only 29% of US youth aged 2-19 showing healthy cardiometabolic profiles based on data from 2013-2018.

The new analysis, involving over 1,000 participants from two Danish studies, examined 10-year-olds (studied in 2010) and 18-year-olds (studied in 2000) from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood. Researchers measured time spent watching TV, gaming, or using devices for leisure and compared it to key health indicators such as waist circumference, blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar.

They found that each extra daily hour of screen time raised overall cardiometabolic risk scores by 0.08 standard deviations in 10-year-olds and 0.13 in 18-year-olds. For example, three extra hours of screen use could increase a child’s health risk by up to half a standard deviation compared to peers.

Sleep patterns played a notable role: shorter sleep and later bedtimes amplified the link between screen time and health risks. In children, around 12% of the connection between screen habits and metabolic risk was explained by reduced sleep duration. Researchers say insufficient sleep may both worsen and partially drive the early health impacts of excessive screen exposure.