How screen time and green time may affect youth psychological outcomes


Date:
September 2, 2020
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
Less screen time and more green time are associated with better
psychological outcomes among children and adolescents, according
to a new study.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Less screen time and more green time are associated with better
psychological outcomes among children and adolescents, according to
a study published September 2 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by
Tassia Oswald of the University of Adelaide, and colleagues.


==========================================================================
The prevalence of mental illness among children and adolescents is
increasing globally. Technological developments in recent decades have increased young people's engagement with screen-based technologies (screen time), and a reduction in young people's contact with nature (green time)
has been observed concurrently. This combination of high screen time and
low green time may affect mental health and well-being. But research investigating the psychological impacts of screen time or green time
typically considers each factor in isolation and fails to delineate the reciprocal effects of high technology use and low contact with nature
on mental health and cognitive outcomes. To address this question,
Oswald and colleagues analyzed the findings of 186 studies to collate
evidence assessing associations between screen time, green time, and psychological outcomes (including mental health, cognitive functioning,
and academic achievement) for children and adolescents.

In general, high levels of screen time appeared to be associated with unfavorable psychological outcomes, while green time appeared to be
associated with favorable psychological outcomes. Young people from
low socioeconomic backgrounds were underrepresented in the literature
overall and may be disproportionately affected by high screen time and low green time, making this a priority group for future research. However, additional longitudinal studies and RCTs are needed to determine
whether decreasing screen time and increasing green time would improve psychological outcomes. According to the authors, preliminary evidence
suggests that green time could potentially buffer the consequences
of high screen time, meaning nature may be an under-utilized public
health resource to promote youth psychological well-being in a high-tech
era. Investment in more rigorous research is needed to explore this.

Oswald adds: "This systematic scoping review highlights that nature
may currently be an under-utilised public health resource, which could potentially function as an upstream preventative and psychological
well-being promotion intervention for children and adolescents in a
high-tech era. However, robust evidence is needed to guide policies and recommendations around appropriate screen time and green time at critical
life stages, to ultimately ensure optimal psychological well-being for
young people."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Oswald TK, Rumbold AR, Kedzior SGE, Moore VM. Psychological
impacts of
"screen time" and "green time" for children and adolescents:
A systematic scoping review. PLOS ONE, 2020 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0237725 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200902152132.htm

--- up 1 week, 2 days, 6 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)