Study determines the number of hours children use the phone per week

A team of psychologists and mental health specialists in Denmark found that limiting children's tablet use to just 3 hours a week could lead to a significant improvement in their mental health.

Scientists conducted a randomized clinical trial, which included 89 families with 181 children from 10 Danish cities, focusing on the impact of limiting the use of phones and electronic devices on children’s health, especially since previous research has shown that spending long periods of time watching movies, browsing social media, or playing video games leads to mental health problems in children, such as aggressive social behavior and difficulties in controlling emotions.

The experiment involved testing all the children participating in the study, to learn more about their social skills, general behavior, emotional stability, and overall mental health.

The research team asked all children in 45 families to limit their use of electronic devices to just 3 hours per week for two weeks, and video screens were installed in the participants' homes to ensure compliance.

At the end of the experiment, scientists observed a significant improvement in the children's social skills, including a decrease in behavioral problems and in dealing with emotional issues.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.