Digital addiction and depression: do you know good screen use from bad?

Today, some of our children learn how to use a smartphone before they even walk. But what are the real repercussions of this early exposure to screens?

Studies have already demonstrated that children who spend over 2 hours per day in front of screens have poorer cognitive capabilities than others. There has also been a link proven between time spent in front of screens and the incidence of depression, social exclusion and reduced self esteem.

Taking a slightly different approach to this issue, a Canadian study 1 has recently analysed different types of screen activity separately, distinguishing between social media use, television viewing, gaming and computer use for other activities. Their conclusions are intriguing: while adolescents who spend long hours using social media or watching TV are more susceptible to become depressed, the same was not true for those spending time gaming or on other activities. The authors hypothesise that the fact that social media and TV promote idealised representations of adolescents of the same age as the subjects could be why these media have this particular effect.

1) JAMA Pediatr. Published online July 15, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1759