Spending too much time on screens could hurt your teen’s heart health
Study reveals health risks of excessive screen time in teens
- Excessive screen time in children and young adults significantly increases the risk of heart-related health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.
- Danish researchers found that this link is particularly strong in individuals who experience reduced sleep, suggesting screen use may be displacing crucial sleep time.
- The study, involving over 1,000 Danish youths, revealed that each additional hour of screen time daily worsened cardiometabolic risk, with three extra hours leading to a notable increase.
- Machine learning identified a 'screen-time fingerprint' in blood samples, indicating biological changes that could signal long-term heart health risks from early screen habits.
- Experts recommend gradually reducing screen time, particularly by shifting screen use earlier in the day and prioritizing earlier and longer sleep, to mitigate these health risks.