4 or more hours of daily screen time linked to more anxiety and depression in teens, data shows

Question

CBS News states that four or more hours of screen time is linked to more anxiety and depression that resides in teens. CBS is moderately known to be a trust worthy network. Sara Moniuszko, the author of this article, shows that statistically one in four teens who reported four or more hours of screen time experienced 27% more anxiety symptoms and 25% depression systems in the span of two weeks. With more studies and statistics Monizusko could be onto something because similar studies of depression and anxiety show up in other news articles like New York Times, and CNN. This article was published recently on October 31, 2024 so this is not old news, nor old statistics meaning the rate could incline in a couple years as technology advances. The headline of this article lined up perfectly with the text and images provided.

Comments

I like your reasoning and your explanation by using a CBS news article, but I'd like to include a different perspective of the "screen time" story. For example. according to the National Institutes of Health, "A study of nearly 2,000 children found that those who reported playing video games for three hours per day or more performed better on cognitive skills tests involving impulse control and working memory compared to children who had never played video games." So, while screen time may be linked to more anxiety and depression, some forms of screen time have the potential to be beneficial to young children.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/video-gaming-may-be-associated-better-cognitive-performance-children

Answer 1

I believe this claim to be true. Not only is the article itself supported by findings from other professionals such as psychiatrist Dr. Neha Chaudhary and published works from the American Academy of Pediatrics, but other sources outside the article confirm the overarching findings of a correlation between screen time and increased mental health issues for teens. A study done in 2018 I found from the National Library of Medicine also finds similarly positive associations between higher screen time and lower psychological well-being for youth. I also found a more recent study from 2023 conducted by the Yale School of Medicine that prods at the connection between screen time an mental health for 10-12 year olds as well. All in all, I think CBS's claim of a correlation is true.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6214874/#:~:text=Highlights&text=More%20hours%20of%20screen%20time,in%20ages%202%20to%2017.&text=High%20users%20show%20less%20curiosity,%2Dcontrol%2C%20and%20emotional%20stability.

https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/yale-study-probes-connection-between-excessive-screen-media-activity-and-mental-health-problems-in-youth/

Comments

I think this was a good source to use. It is trustworthy and also states several dependable and truthful facts. Good job answering to this claim.

Answer 2

The original claim states that teens who spend four or more hours a day on screens are more likely to experience anxiety and depression. After I reviewed each source I believe this information to be accurate. The original source being CBS news article by Sara Monisuszko ( https://www.cbsnews.com/news/teens-4-hours-screen-time-anxiety-depression/ ), reporeoted that her study revealed that one in foru teens with 4 or more hours of screen time has 27% more anxiety and 25% more chance of depression. CBS news is a well known Company and over the years has been know to provide accurate information. During my research, I also found a source about CDC from 2023 which also reported on anxiety and depression. (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db513.htm ) Both of these sources connected and talked about how there is a link between children / teens reporting a higher risk of anxiety and deoression. Both of these sources are reliable sources with very well known reputations with their information coming from research or surverys instea of just their personal opinion. Both of these sources support the origional claim.  

Answer 3

The claim presented I have found to be very true.  Throughout websites, I see non-stop data on how the increase in screen time has affected children and teens' mental health around the world.  Shown by the NCHC (National Center for Health Statistics), "Teenagers who had 4 or more hours of daily screen time were more likely to have had anxiety symptoms in the past 2 weeks (27.1%) compared with teenagers with less than 4 hours of daily screen time (12.3%)."(Zablotsky, 2024)In this statement, you can see that the difference is immense between the two, coming up to almost 2x the teens under 4 hours of screen time.  Presented also by my own self actions and witnessings, I have seen countless friends consumed in social media on their phones.  Moods are changing depending on different dramas that are happening online.  A simple hate comment ruins someone's day, a post of an attractive person makes others compare themselves, and puts them down.  The pressure comes out of nowhere, and you don't even seem to notice it until it gets too far.  NCHC also states, "High levels of screen time have been linked with adverse health outcomes, including poor sleep habits and fatigue."(Zablotsky, 2024) With the outcome of too much time on screens, the lack of sleep has increased, which in turn also promotes another flaw.  Sleep is one of the most important functions of a healthy, growing teen.  Compromising this leads to even more risk, not just in mental health but in overall physical well-being.  

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db513.htm

Zablotsky, Benjamin, et al. “Daily Screen Time among Teenagers: United States, July 2021 – December 2023.” Daily Screen Time among Teenagers: United States, July 2021–December 2023, vol. 513, no. 513, 30 Oct. 2024, www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db513.htm, https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc/168509.

‌

Answer 4

I have found that the claim "does 4 or more hours of screen time cause anxiety or depression in teens" to be true. The source I found to support this claim is a government published analysis of a data survey. This report shows that on average 50% teens from ages 12-17 spend more than 4 hours online. There are also reports that state that teens who spend 4 or more hours on technology tend to have anxiety or depression. As technology only seems to advance and is unavoidable, its important to set some time away from screens for the sake of mental health. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/teens-4-hours-screen-time-anxiety-depression/

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db513.htm