Too Much Computer and Screen Time Leading to Poor Concentration

New research finds that too much computer, TV or time spent playing the video game unit can increase the risk of poor concentration in both children and young adults. Most parents can tell you this isn't the first research to point out the potential down side of too much screen time.

In this latest work a team of psychologists compared subjects who spent less than two hours a day watching TV or playing video games to those who watched more. The two hour time limit is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics for kids over 2 years old.

The research team looked at two different age groups, 1,300 children in the third, fourth and fifth grades over a period of 13 months. They also studied 210 college students in a one-time evaluation. Video game and TV time were reported by both the children and their parents, teachers were reporting the attention problems for the students, including if a child had trouble staying on task, paying attention, not interrupting other children's work or showed problems in other ways that can signal issues with attention. The college students offered a self-report on attention issues.

Middle school students spent an average of 4.26 hours each day watching TV or playing a video game. Older students spent 4.82 hours a day in front of the screen. Those who did more than the AAP recommendation were from 1.6 to 2.2 times more likely to have attention issues that were outside the norm according to Swing. Middle schoolers were a bit less likely to have attention problems than college students.

The worrisome thing for many in the medical world is that ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is ten times more common today than it was just two decades ago. While experts believe that the condition has some genetic basis, it is also likely that things in the environment (food additives, sugar) are contributing to the rise in numbers. Excessive use of media is another of the suspected culprits.

Both video games and TV are equal culprits according to the research.

But since we can't un-invent all the entertainment that takes place on the screen, we must learn to understand and adapt to it. Anyone familiar with MTV has had a good long while to become accustomed to the sped up pace, quick edits every second or two. The pacing of other shows and movies has sped up too. These faster paced shows/games increase the risk of attention issues because the young mind becomes primed to accept that pace. Real life doesn't happen fast enough to hold attention.

Games that feature problem solving instead of more fast-paced action are probably the best choice. And while no expert can give you an exact number of hours when screen time leads to poor concentration, the AAP guidelines of no more than two hours a day are a sensible reference point. Sorry kids.
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By Kirsten Whittaker