According to the results of a study conducted among Korea’s young population, it was understood that the time spent on smartphone screens increased, especially when watching video content on platforms such as YouTube.

This is accompanied by an increase in problems with the physical and mental health of young people, including sleep disorders, eye diseases and musculoskeletal problems, as well as possible deterioration in mental status.

The American Academy of Pediatrics had previously created a recommendation Limit teenagers’ time interacting with gadgets to 2 hours per day. However, this limitation may not fully apply to teenagers, who are more adaptable to new technologies than younger children. Statistics show that nearly half of young people in various countries, including Switzerland, the USA and South Korea, spend more than 3 hours on their phones every day.

A new study on screen time

Dr. Researchers from Hanyang University Medical Center (South Korea), led by Jin-Hwa Moon, concluded that current rules need to be revised due to the increasing amount of time young people spend with smartphones. They analyzed data from more than 50,000 youth who participated in the 2017 and 2020 annual KYRBWS national health risk behavior survey.

Optimum screen time

The analysis, which took into account factors such as age, gender and socio-economic status, showed that young people who spent more than four hours a day on their smartphones had higher stress levels, higher suicidal thoughts and were more likely to use psychoactive substances. to those who use devices less intensively.

The study also states: using the phone 1-2 hours a day is associated with fewer problems than complete rejection of gadgets.

The authors note that their study does not establish a definitive cause-effect relationship between electronic device use and health problems, but their findings may shed light on the development of new guidelines for controlling the time young people spend in front of screens.