Screens can end in friends

KIDS who spend more time on devices have more close friends, landmark research has revealed, up-ending the idea that screen time ruins social relationships.

The esteemed scientific journal PLOS ONE has published a study that highlights kids on screens is not seriously harmful.

Researchers found that the negative impacts of screen time are often overblown and primary school-aged children who spend more time in front of devices are only slightly more likely to have attention disorders, disturbed sleep or lower grades and are no more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety

The largest study to explore the impacts of screen time looked at more than 11,000 kids aged nine and 10.

“These findings suggest that we should be mindful of screens, but that screen time is likely not inherently harmful to our youth,” lead author Katie Paulich said.

On average, boys spent about 45 minutes more daily with screens than girls, topping out at almost five hours daily on weekends and four hours on weekdays.

Boys and girls used screens differently – with boys spending twice as much time with video games, while girls spent more time engaging with social media.

“Using this extensive data set, we found that yes, there are relationships between screen time and negative outcomes, but they are not large and not dire,” senior author John Hewitt, director of the Institute for Behavioural Genetics said.