"Excessive screen time directly leads to obesity and diabetes"

Question

While very long periods of sitting are known to be a contributing factor in health problems, the major variables contributing to weight gain are food intake and the total amount of physical activity, not specifically screen time. As one study indicated, it is more about what one is doing while using a screen, such as snacking, rather than the screen time itself.

Answer 1

Excessive screen time does not directly lead to obesity and diabetes, there are factors that link the two together. There is evidence that suggests that excessive screen time leads to obesity through excessive eating while viewing things online, as well as exposure to high calorie food marketing that can influence a child's preferences and eating habits. It is also because when we use our screens, we are not really active and use little energy. That plus eating more while using our screens can contribute to weight gain. Screen time is one of the factors that can lead to obesity, but it does not directly lead to it. There are many people who use their screens a lot but do not participate in those kinds of actions. 

Articles used:

https://www.wcrf.org/can-too-much-screen-time-affect-our-weight/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5769928/#:~:text=Current%20evidence%20suggests%20that%20screen,habits%3B%20and%20reduced%20sleep%20duration.

Answer 2

Excessive screen time does not directly lead to obesity and diabetes, however there are factors that link them. There is some evidence that eating while being on a screen can become excessive due to not being attentive to the food your eating. There is also evidence that eating habits can be harmed with online ads. It is also because while using screens we aren't active. These combined lead to the weight gain. Screen time can lead to obesity but does not cause it.  

Articles used:

https://www.wcrf.org/can-too-much-screen-time-affect-our-weight/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5769928/#:~:text=Current%20evidence%20suggests%20that%20screen,habits%3B%20and%20reduced%20sleep%20duration.

Answer 3

This isn't entirely true, studies have shown that screen media exposure encourages poor eating habits, like frequent snacking on high-calorie foods, and shortens sleep duration, both of which contribute to weight gain. Limiting screen time and encouraging physical activity may help mitigate these risks, especially in children and teens who are highly susceptible to the effects of screen media on dietary habits and physical activity levels. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/140/Supplement_2/S97/34162/Screen-Media-Exposure-and-Obesity-in-Children-and?autologincheck=redirected

Answer 4

Excessive screen time does not directly lead to obesity and diabetes. After investigating more I have come to the conclusion that this claim is not true. The action of excessive screen time is not a reason for weight gain but constantly sitting and not getting any workout activity in well you are using screen time can contribute to weight gain. Digging deeper you can see how screen time may help cause weight gain but nowhere does it say it is a direct link. Therefore this claim is not correct. 

Article Used:  https://www.wcrf.org/can-too-much-screen-time-affect-our-weight/sed: 

Answer 5

This claim is misleading. While it is proven that with children, the ones who use screens for less than an hour a day have less body fat than the ones who use screens for more than an hour a day, (Screen Time Linked To Greater Risk of Diabetes in Kids | NOVA | PBS). That has to do with the factors of screen time. Those are factors that may lead to diabetes due to a lack of movement, however the claim the excessive screen time directly translates to diabetes is exaggerating and does not mention other factors of how diabetes can be caused.  

Answer 6

Excessive screen time cannot directly cause obesity and diabetes. Obesity is typically caused by poor diet and exercise. Type 1 diabetes is the congenital lack or proper insulin production and thus categorically  can not be caused by excessive screen time. Type 2 diabetes is a developed disorder caused by have too many fat cells which causes insulin resistance. Excessive screen time cannot directly cause either condition, but the sedentary life style associated with excessive screen time can lead to both conditions, however someone with a healthy lifestyle can have excessive screen time without becoming obese or developing type 2 diabetes.

Source: https://valleywisehealth.org/blog/negative-effect-of-screen-time-adults-children/

Answer 7

The claim made is exaggerated and misleading. This is due the fact that there is not direct causation between excessive screen time and obesity/diabetes. Several studies and articles I've found concur. Now people who are excessively on screens does add to an increased likelihood in getting into bad eating habits through marketing or overeating. Links - https://www.wcrf.org/can-too-much-screen-time-affect-our-weight/ -and- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/screen-time-linked-to-greater-risk-of-diabetes-in-kids/

Answer 8

There is a link between excessive screen time and obesity but it is not a direct correlation, there are factors that relate these to each other. this article is mis leading in the sense that there are factors that relate these but the simple fact of that to much screen time can make you obese is simply not true. there are other factors that cause that.

 https://www.wcrf.org/can-too-much-screen-time-affect-our-weight/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5769928/#:~:text=Current%20evidence%20suggests%20that%20screen,habits%3B%20and%20reduced%20sleep%20duration.

Answer 9

The claim that “screen time directly leads to obesity and diabetes” is very misleading. To answer this question you have to define “direct” in this context. A direct outcome of something would mean that by doing something (screen time), that itself makes something else happen (obesity, and diabetes). Screen time itself doesn't make you obese or give you diabetes. But a lot of screen time can lead you to spending a lot of time in one place, potentially leading to obesity. 

There are a lot of sources that verify the fact that obesity is a lead outcome of screen media exposure. Ex. PMC. But not one of them say obesity and diabetes is a direct outcome of screen time.