Excessive screen time threatens the cardiac health of young people

The excessive time that children and young adults spend in front of the screens of phones, game consoles, and other devices could put their cardiac health at risk, according to a scientific study, which highlights the importance of promoting healthy habits in this regard to protect long-term health.

A new study, which was published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, has concluded that the increase in time that children and young adults spend using electronic devices or watching television is associated with a higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

The work, which has collected data from more than 1,000 participants in a study in Denmark, reveals that the link between screen time and cardiometabolic risks was stronger among young people who slept fewer hours, suggesting that screen use can damage health by also “stealing” sleep time. A scientific statement published in 2023 by the American Heart Association already corroborated that cardiometabolic risk accumulates at increasingly early ages and that only 29 percent of young Americans, between 2 and 19 years old, had favorable cardiometabolic health, and this new work delves into the risks associated with increased time in front of electronic devices for recreational purposes. They used data from a group of 10-year-old children studied in 2010 and a group of 18-year-old youths in 2000, who were part of the cohorts of several prospective studies conducted in Denmark, and specifically examined the relationship between screen time and cardiometabolic risk factors.

The Risks of Sleeping Less

Screen time included time spent watching television, movies, playing video games, or using phones, tablets, or computers for leisure. The analysis also revealed that both sleep duration and timing influenced the relationship between screen time and cardiometabolic risk. Thus, sleeping less and going to bed later intensified the relationship between screen time and cardiometabolic risk, and children and adolescents who slept less showed a significantly higher risk associated with the same amount of screen time.

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The findings suggest that lack of sleep can not only magnify the impact of screen time, but could also be a key pathway linking those habits to early metabolic changes, researchers have warned, highlighting that recognizing and talking about habits with these devices during pediatric appointments could be part of broader lifestyle counseling, just like diet or physical activity. The scientists themselves have specified that, as it is an observational study, with data collected prospectively, the findings reflect “associations” rather than demonstrating a cause-and-effect relationship, and that the children’s parents reported screen time through questionnaires, which may not accurately reflect the actual time young people spend in front of devices. Future research should explore, they have pointed out, whether limiting screen use in the hours before sleep, when the light from screen exposure can alter circadian rhythms and disrupt sleep onset, may be a way to help reduce cardiometabolic risk.