Swedish children's screen use has increased drastically during the pandemic, according to Anett Sundqvist who researches children and screen time at Linköping University.
The same development can be seen in Canada.
Therefore, researchers conducted a study that followed a group of Canadian children between May 2020 and April 2021. During the period, the country was characterized by restrictions, closures and distance education.
The parents of the children studied filled in how much time their children spent in front of TV, digital media, electronic games, video chats and digital learning.
The parents also reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, behavioral problems and irritation as well as hyperactivity or inattention in the children.
Depression and anxiety
The results show that there is a connection between a lot of screen time and mental illness.
Distance learning and electronic learning in particular are associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety.
- If you use digital media more, you have more mental illness.
But you can not say if one depends on the other, explains Anett Sundqvist.
The study is not designed in a way that makes it possible to draw any conclusions about causality, ie whether screen time causes ill health.
For example, a child's mental illness can lead to the child watching more TV or playing more computer games.
Need to meet face to face
During the pandemic, social isolation, fewer physical and social activities, cyberbullying and stressful news may also have contributed to mental health problems, according to the study.
And that digital communication and video chats would help against bad moods caused by isolation, which was a hypothesis, did not turn out to be true.
- It's not enough.
You need the social and to be able to meet people face to face, says Anett Sundqvist.
Research done before the pandemic also consistently shows similar links between screen time and mental illness in children, according to Anett Sundqvist.