New data looks at how screen time impacts kids’ well-being: Statistics Canada

A new study from Statistics Canada shows youth who didn’t exceed screen time guidelines reported having better mental health compared to those who went over current recommendations.

The study took place for two years, 2019 and 2023. It looked at the same cohort of youths, who were between the ages of 12 and 17 in 2019 and then 16 and 21 in 2023, to see how screen time impacted them.

The Canadian Pediatric Society’s screen time guideline recommends a maximum of two hours of daily recreational screen time for youth between the ages of five and 17.

The study found kids who met those guidelines in both years had better mental health compared to those who went over the guidelines’ recommendations.

It also found kids were more physically active, less stressed, more interested in life and were less focused on body image.

As well, kids had better grades in school if they didn’t exceed the guidelines in both years.

Leslie Roos, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Manitoba, said she thinks it’s great seeing the government look at the outcomes of screen time, as it’s an issue that many parents grapple with.

While the study focuses on the guidelines, she said it is important to look at the type of screen time happening.

“Watching a two-hour, two-and-a-half-hour movie with your family or with friends is really different and has a more social component and a learning component than scrolling through YouTube videos or engaging in social media in a way that might lead to self-criticism and might lead to sort of poor mental health,” Roos said.

She notes the study doesn’t really look at other factors like social connection, saying the feeling of isolation is something kids are feeling more and more these days.

“(Youth) are getting out less, there’s less socialization happening, fewer romantic relationships happening, and all of these things are thought of as typical and normal and a healthy part of youth development.”

How parents can help their kids with screen time

Roos believes parents play a significant role in shaping how their kids use screens and if they are trying to encourage less screen time, then they need to be part of the process.

She recommends parents show “a willingness and an interest” in their kids’ screen activities.

“Video games can be great when they’re social, but hopefully those video games are being social with friends that you trust and identify. It’s really different than video games being social with other adults online who you don’t know.”

If parents are wanting to reduce screen time, Roos said it’s important that fun opportunities are made available to replace the screens.

Given the study happened in 2019 and 2023, Roos notes it didn’t cover topics like youth interacting with AI, saying screen time is a moving target.

“The impact of things like chatbots on youth well-being and how people are engaging with those, and so I think it really just speaks to, again, the importance for parents for supervision.”

The full report can be read online.