SchmidtPersson Rasmussen Sorensen 2024

“The primary outcome analysis revealed that children and adolescents allocated to the screen media reduction group increased their nonsedentary leisure time by 45 minutes per day compared with children and adolescents in the control group. In the present study, we report the results for children’s and adolescents’ behavioral strengths and difficulties based on data from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The SDQ has been found to be a useful measure of young people’s mental health.”

In the study of the outcome, the main result showed that kids and teens who were told to use less screen time ended up spending about 45 more minutes per day doing active, non-sitting activities such as playing or moving around compared to the kids or teens who did not change their screen habits. The study also looked at their behaviours and mental health by using a questionnaire called the SDQ which looks at young people’s strengths and abilities.

“Screen media use is a complex and broad construct that includes active and passive engagement with different types of devices and content. Although the use of screen media devices, particularly smartphones, can facilitate many daily activities and some social interactions, concerns have been raised over the past years about the potential negative effect of digital screen media use on children’s and adolescents’ mental health, yet the research is still sparse and remains inconclusive. Some observational studies find moderate-sized associations between high levels of screen media use and poor mental health, while some researchers claim that observed associations are too weak to have any societal relevance.”

Screen media use, which consists of the use of devices such as phones, tablets, computers, or TVs to watch, play, read, or interact with content- includes many different types of activities and ways of using them. We break these down into two categories: passive, such as watching videos- or active, such as playing video games or sending messages. Although these devices, particularly smart phones, can help with daily tasks and social interactions, there have been growing concerns regarding the potential negative effects on children and teen’s mental health. However, research about this is still new and unclear. Some studies have found a moderate link between high screen use and poor mental health, while others argue that the link is too small to really matter on a larger scale.

“In summary, we found 408 eligible families among 1420 interested families identified from a population-based survey concerning screen media behaviors in families with children. A total of 92 families agreed to participate in the trial and completed baseline assessments. Three families dropped out after baseline assessments, and 89 families (including a total of 181 children) were randomized to either the screen media reduction group (45 families [86 children]: mean [SD] age, 8.6 [2.7] years; 42 girls [49%] and 44 boys [51%]) or the control group (44 families [95 children]: mean [SD] age, 9.5 [2.5] years; 57 girls [60%] and 38 boys [40%]). Baseline characteristics were generally similar across the 2 groups.”

Out of the 1420 interested families, only 408 were eligible to participate in the study. Of those 408 eligible families, only 92 families agreed to take part and completed the first assessments. Three families left the study after the first assessments, leaving 89 families (or a total of 181 children) who were eligible to participate. These participants were randomly assigned to one of the two groups, a screen media reduction group- or a control group. The screen media reduction group consisted of 45 total families which included 86 children, with an average age of 8.6 years old; and had 42 girls (49%) and 44 boys (51%). In the control group, it consisted of 44 families which included 95 children, with an average age of 9.5 years old; and had 57 girls (60%) and 38 boys (40%). Prior to the study, these two groups were generally similar in terms of characteristics.

“Results from this cluster randomized clinical trial showed that reducing leisure-time screen media use in families for a period of 2 weeks had a significant positive effect on children’s and adolescents’ mental health. Considering the different mental subdomains, a reduction in screen media use resulted in improvements in internalizing symptoms (emotional symptoms and peer problems) and prosocial behavior.”

The study revealed that when families cut down on screen time for two weeks, there was a clear positive effect on the kids and teens mental health. Specifically, spending less time on the screens helped reduce additional emotional problems and issues with friends or classmates, and helped kids act more kindly and helpful toward others, suggesting improved mood or emotions.

As the article stated there was limited previous studies available, I would be open and interested in seeing the results of more studies regarding the potential impacts of screentime. I am curious to know if extending the length of these studies would make an additional impact. Another note is that nowhere in the study does it mention what the participants did instead of the screentime. Did they read? Did they go outside? The article can only speculate, so I would also like to see future research broaden the perspectives and have more face-to-face interaction with the participants to determine what activities the screentime was being replaced with. Other factors that future research could consider would be the types of screentime being reduced (e.g just passive, or just active), effects on other aspects of a participant’s life or routines such as sleep, physical activity, or performance in school- or even using a greater variety of age groups in the study, an example being a separate study of young children versus teens.

The most challenging areas of this article are some of the statistical terms and abbreviations (such as, SD, CI, mean) and what the values and numbers mean for the results of the study. In my translation of the results section, I interpreted the values the best I could, however what is unclear for me is that how do these numbers impact the results of the study and do these results influence it negatively, unfairly, or provide unnecessary bias. More particularly, in the control group, there is a larger percentage of girls who participated in the study than the screen media reduction group. As this was a voluntary study, I am aware that this can happen however it is difficult to know if these values and different proportions of age or gender can negatively influence the results. I don’t understand what or if this study took additional measures to eliminate any bias with their results because of this.