Children’s screen time threat
THE toll that technology is taking on children’s health is laid bare today in two reports that link screen time to 12 cancers and short-sightedness.
A global review by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has found rising levels of exposure to smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles in childhood is driving long-term weight gain, identified as one of the key causes of cancer.
The analysis looked at 80 studies involving more than 200,000 people in order to examine the causes of rising obesity and identified screen time in childhood as one of the chief culprits.
It follows findings from the WCRF linking being overweight or obese to 12 common types of cancer, including breast, prostate, colon, liver, ovarian, kidney and pancreatic.
Elsewhere, research by King’s College London found that every hour a day spent playing computer games raises the risk of short-sightedness by 3 per cent, an effect dubbed “digital myopia”.
In the past 50 years, the number of children suffering from myopia has
doubled from 7.2 per cent to 16.4 per cent, which experts put down to staying in and staring at screens.
Scientists said time spent on gadgets appeared to be having multiple effects on children’s health. As well as being linked to lower levels of physical activity, it seemed to dull satiety levels, leading to “passive overconsumption” of snacks – often junk food, often marketed on the devices, the WCRF said.
Caroline Cerny, from the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “Eating too much unhealthy food and drink, with sedentary lifestyles, contributes to overweight and obesity – this much is clear. We also know that when children spend time in front of screens, they are bombarded with junk food adverts.”
She urged ministers to introduce a 9pm watershed on television junk food marketing and similar restrictions online, a call echoed by cancer charities.
Sophia Lowes, from Cancer Research UK, said: “Obese children are five times more likely to be obese as an adult, which is worrying because then they’ll be at an increased risk of 13 different types of cancer. It’s vital we see a 9pm watershed on junk food adverts on TV and similar protection for children seeing adverts online.”
Chris Hammond, from King’s College, said children were damaging their sight and health by staying inside and using screens. “It is a significant concern,” he said. “Close work is a risk factor and outdoor activity is protective.”
In a linked editorial to the study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmolog y, Dr Mohamed Dirani, of the Singapore National Eye centre, called for guidelines for face-to-screen distances and for children to be taught body posture while using devices.
“The age of smart device uptake is getting younger, with many two-yearolds spending up to two hours a day on devices,” he said. “Their use must be monitored to address the emerging phenomenon of digital myopia.”