The very common activity that threatens young people's heart health

Excessive time spent by children and young adults on phones, game consoles, and other devices could put their heart health at risk, according to a scientific study, which highlights the importance of promoting healthy heart habits to protect long-term health.

A new study, which was published a few days ago in the Journal of the American Heart Association , has concluded that Increased time spent by children and young adults using electronic devices or watching television is associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

The work, which collected data from more than a thousand participants in a study in Denmark, reveals that the link between screen time and cardiometabolic risks was stronger among young people who slept less hours, suggesting that Screen use can harm your health by also "stealing" sleep time.

A scientific statement published in 2023 by the American Heart Association already confirmed that cardiometabolic risk accumulates at increasingly younger ages and that only 29% of American youth, ages 2 to 19, had favorable cardiometabolic health. This new work delves into the risks associated with increased recreational use of electronic devices.

They used data from a group of 10-year-old children studied in 2010 and a group of 18-year-olds in 2000, who were part of the cohorts of several prospective studies conducted in Denmark, and specifically examined the relationship between screen time and cardiometabolic risk factors.

The risks of sleeping less

Screen time included time spent watching TV, movies, playing video games, or using phones, tablets, or computers for leisure.

The analysis also revealed that both sleep duration and timing influenced the relationship between time spent using electronic devices and cardiometabolic risk.

Thus, sleeping less and going to bed later intensified the relationship between screen time and cardiometabolic risk, and children and adolescents who slept less showed a significantly higher risk associated with the same amount of screen time.

The findings suggest that poor sleep may not only magnify the impact of screen time, but may also be a key pathway linking these habits to early metabolic changes, the researchers warned, noting that recognizing and discussing screen habits during pediatric appointments could be part of broader lifestyle counseling, just like diet or physical activity .

The scientists themselves have noted that because this was an observational study, with data collected prospectively, the findings reflect "associations" rather than demonstrating a cause-and-effect relationship, and that the children's parents reported their screen time using questionnaires, which may not accurately reflect the actual time young people spend in front of the devices.

Future research should explore, they noted, whether limiting screen use in the hours before bedtime, when light from screen exposure can disrupt circadian rhythms and disrupt sleep onset, may be a way to help reduce cardiometabolic risk.

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