Study finds screen time may matter less for young people’s mental health

A study of more than 21,000 Swedish twins suggests the link between screen time and mental health symptoms in young people may have been overstated, SVT reported. The researchers found that family factors, including genes and upbringing, could explain some of the association.

The researchers at Karolinska Institutet followed the twins from age nine into adulthood. By comparing twins raised in the same family who used screens for different amounts of time, they examined the role of shared family background.

Most of the associations between high screen use and symptoms of depression and anxiety weakened after the researchers accounted for family factors.

The findings do not mean screen time has no effect on mental health, said Emma Frans, a senior research specialist at Karolinska Institutet. “There may be many underlying factors, and there is reason to add nuance to these associations,” she said.

The study relied on self-reported information collected before mobile phones and social media had become as integral to young people’s daily lives as they are today.

Sweden’s Public Health Agency has recommendations on screen use for children and adults. Helena Frielingsdorf, a psychiatrist and investigator at the agency, welcomed further research but said the agency could not draw conclusions from a single study. She said it was important to continue following the agency’s recommendations for safe and balanced screen use among children and young people.