Have you ever noticed how your child's mood changes after hours in front of the tablet? It's not your imagination. A gigantic international study that monitored almost 300 children for years confirms what many parents suspected: excessive time in front of screens not only causes emotional problems, but also creates a perverse mechanism.
Children with difficulties increasingly take refuge in screens, making the situation worse. It is a vicious circle that begins earlier than you think: already at 6 years old, the first evident damages are visible.
Screen and Children, the Study That Changes Everything
THEAmerican Psychological Association published in the magazine Psychological bulletin the most comprehensive research ever conducted on the harm that a screen does to children. Roberta Vasconcellos and his team analyzed 117 studies conducted between 1972 and 2024, following 292.000 children for years. The numbers speak for themselves: the more time they spend in front of screens, the more anxiety, aggression and depression increase.
Michael Noetel of Queensland University explains that children are spending more and more time on screens, but the link works both ways: screens cause emotional problems, and children with emotional problems seek refuge in screens.
The brain that transforms
The most affected age group is between 6 and 10 years. At this age the brain is still forming and prolonged exposure to screens interferes with the development of the areas responsible for emotional regulation. As highlighted in previous research, growing up with technology does not automatically mean knowing how to manage it.
Video games emerge as the most problematic category. Regardless of whether violent content is present or not, gaming is more easily addictive than passive television. Annie Fujikawa ofAscend Behavior Health note that when a child primarily uses screens to regulate emotions, he or she never really learns how to manage frustration and anger.
Surprising gender differences
The search forAustralian Catholic University shows interesting patterns: girls are more likely to develop emotional disorders, while boys tend to increase their use of screens when they have emotional difficulties.
Il OECD 2025 report confirms: 17% of 96-year-olds feel anxious when deprived of digital devices. 70% own a smartphone, XNUMX% of fourth-graders do too.
Screens and children: there is a way out
There is no need to demonize technology, but we certainly need to use it differently. Maximum one hour a day for children between 2 and 5 years old, with quality content and supervision. Previous studies suggest that the problem is not so much the devices, but the time taken away from real relationships.
Children learn to regulate emotions through human interaction, not through algorithms designed to capture attention. Every hour in front of a screen is an hour not spent developing the social and emotional skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Maximum attention, “fellow” parents (I have a 7-year-old daughter and face the same threats).
