By Nina Bryant, Deputy News Editor
Does increased screen-time lead to poor mental health? Research by the University of Bristol suggests that the link may be more complicated.
A recent longitudinal study carried out by the University of Bristol, funded by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, has found the link between screen time and mental health to be more complex than we might think.
This was the first study to assess the link between screen time and later depression and anxiety by studying a cohort since birth. This is notable because this method enabled the incorporation of other factors which could be linked to mental health.
Their findings showed a weak correlation between screen time and later mental health problems, leading to the conclusion that the link is probably more complicated than previously thought.
Although their findings still do not determine cause when looking at observed depression and anxiety, their study does provide a more in-depth exploration of how screen time may be associated with mental illness later in life.
'Their findings showed a weak correlation between screen time and later mental health problems, leading to the conclusion that the link is probably more complicated than previously thought.'
By observing a cohort since birth, researchers were able to tease apart factors that could inflate the strength of such a link, such as the amount of time spent alone. They found that, when accounting for the amount of time spent alone, the link between screen time and mental health was a lot weaker.
This suggests that the link between screen time and mental health may be an indirect one, whereby increased screen time leads to more time spent alone contributing to mental health problems - or indeed mental illness contributes to isolation - in turn leading to increased screen time.
The researchers speculated that other factors, such as the type of screen-activity, could also contribute. They asserted that the type of screen-based activities—such as online gambling and social media—used by young people today will be different to that of their cohort, providing leads for future research.
Featured image: Cameron Scheijde / Epigram
