Study Concludes Overusing Screens In Kids Can Damage Hearts

Heart Damage: Study Concludes Overusing Screens in Kids Can Damage Hearts

Recent years have witnessed abundant research examining the consequences of extended screen time during childhood. According to the available evidence, socialization, and neurological development are negatively impacted by excessive screen time.

This is because, among other things, they detach us from our environment, necessitating mental health professionals’ intervention frequently and resulting in genuine addictions.

In addition, during the formative years of childhood, screen time can contribute to the development of neurocognitive learning disorders.

The most significant consequence, however, is that excessive screen time during childhood and adolescence on smartphones, tablets, televisions, and video games results in a sedentary way of life.

Indeed, a correlation has been established between excessive screen time and the rise in sedentary behaviors observed among children.

One more rationale for restricting the amount of time children dedicate to using televisions, video games, and mobile phones is presented here.

A novel investigation, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2023 and conducted by Andrew Agbaje at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, finds that sedentary children have an elevated susceptibility to developing heart damage during adulthood.

Even if body mass index and blood pressure remain within the expected parameters, neglecting physical activity during infancy can potentially pave the way for subsequent myocardial infarctions and strokes. However, a study concludes overusing screens in kids can damage hearts. Things that make you go hmm….. 🤔

Overexposure To Electronic Screens Raises Cardiac Rate.

The research examined the cumulative effects of sedentary time on the heart using data from the landmark multigenerational Children of the 1990s study, which is distinctive in its breadth and depth of scope. It monitored the adult health and lifestyles of 14,500 infants born between 1990 and 1991.

At the age of 11, 766 of the children who participated in the study were instructed to wear a smartwatch that tracked their activity for seven days.

Among these children, 55% were females and 45% were boys. They were required to replicate this at age 15, and again at age 24. Simultaneously, an echocardiographic examination of the left ventricle of each subject was performed at the ages of 17 and 24.

Moreover, the results of this examination were adjusted for variables including height, sex, blood pressure, body obesity, tobacco use, physical activity, and socioeconomic status.

The findings revealed that the participants exhibited sedentary behavior for an average of 362 minutes daily at the age of 11. This increased to 474 minutes per day during adolescence (15 years of age), and further rose to 531 minutes per day during adulthood (24 years of age).

The study observed a mean daily increase of 2.8 hours in sedentary time throughout the thirteen-year duration. A significant portion of this sedentary time was devoted to screen time. Kids are meant to play and not remain on their bottoms for hours on end.

Most significantly, the echocardiography revealed a direct correlation between sedentary time and an increase in cardiac weight among adolescents.

This increased the risk of cardiac attacks and strokes once the individual reached adulthood. The observed correlation between prolonged periods of inactivity and myocardial injury persisted irrespective of body mass index and blood pressure.

The Result Of A Sedentary Lifestyle

Sedentary lifestyles improve the risk of neurodegenerative disease, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders (including type 2 diabetes and obesity) in adults. This is now common knowledge.

Sedentary behavior at a very young age, particularly unrestricted screen time, may accelerate the onset of cardiovascular disease in maturity, according to a new study. It is therefore critical that parents encourage their children and adolescents to engage in more physical activity and restrict their use of social media, video games, and television.

As previously proposed in relation to preterm birth, the study should contribute to a revision and updating of the established roster of conventional cardiovascular risk factors (such as smoking, diabetes, and hypertension) to encompass the cumulative duration of sedentary behavior during childhood.

It is imperative that we all adopt the advice of Martin Luther King, who advised, “If you cannot soar, then run,” from a young age. If running is not possible, then walk. “If you are unable to walk, slither; however, you must continue moving.”

I know, easier said than done but, it is crucial to keep moving. Our bodies were not made to “chill” all day, nothing would get done and it is deleterious health-wise.