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Teens with more screen time have lower-quality relationships
Teens who spend more time watching television or using computers
appear to have poorer relationships with their parents and peers,
according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Paediatrics &
Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Over the past 20
years, teens have used an ever-expanding array of screen-based tools for
communication and entertainment, according to background information in
the article.
"The availability and attractiveness of screen time activities has
provoked excitement about the opportunities afforded by these options,
as well as concern about whether these displace other activities that
are important for health and development," the authors write. "One area
of interest is how screen time may affect the quality of relationships
with family and friends."Rosalina Richards, Ph.D., of the University of
Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, and colleagues studied 3,043 adolescents
age 14 to 15 in 2004.
The teens completed a confidential questionnaire about their
free-time habits, as well as an assessment of their attachment to
parents and peers.Overall, the more time teens spent watching television
or playing on a computer, the more likely they were to report low
attachment to parents (in other words, difficulty forming a relationship
or emotional bond).
The risk of having low attachment to parents increased four per cent
for every hour spent viewing television and five percent for every hour
spent playing on a computer. Conversely, teens who spend more time
reading and doing homework reported a higher level of attachment to
parents.
The researchers also assessed interview responses from 976
individuals who were age 15 years in 1987 to 1988. Among these teens,
more time spent viewing television was associated with lower attachment
to both parents and peers. For every additional hour of television,
teens had a 13 per cent increased risk of low attachment to their
parents and a 24 per cent increased risk of low attachment to peers.
"Recommendations that children watch less television are sometimes met
with the concern that being unable to discuss popular shows or
characters may inhibit peer relationships," the authors write.
"The findings herein do not suggest that less television viewing is
detrimental to adolescent friendships."There are several potential
mechanisms underlying the relationship between increased screen time and
poorer relationships, they note. For instance, teens who have
televisions in their bedroom not only spent more time watching but also
may share fewer meals with family members.
"However, it is also possible that adolescents with poor attachment
relationships with immediate friends and family use screen-based
activities to facilitate new attachment figures such as online
friendships or parasocial relationships with television characters or
personalities," the authors write.
"Given the importance of attachment to parents and peers in
adolescent health and development, concern about high levels of screen
time among adolescents is warranted," they conclude.
"With the rapid advance of screen-based options for entertainment,
communication and education, ongoing research is needed to monitor the
effect that these technologies have on social development and
psychological and physical well-being among adolescents.
"Source:
JAMA and Archives Journals |