Study Shows Two Hours Screen Time Is Damaging The Health Of Aussie Kids

According to an Australian lead study, kids who spend any more than two hours a day looking at screens are more likely to struggle with depression or physical illnesses.

The study included 577,000 children from 42 nations was published in The Lancet last week and it revealed that young girls are most susceptible to health issues from just two hours of screen time which includes social media, TV or online games. 

The study also shows that boys can spend up to four hours in front of a screen before suffering from health issues. 

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The study comes as psychiatrists warn that Australian kids are becoming depressed and anxious and need to be spending more time out doors enjoying "green time". 

Associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at University of Queensland and Lead Author Asaduzzaman Khan says boys are almost twice more likely to achieve the recommended amount of outdoor exercise than girls. 

only 14 percent of girls spent the recommended hour a day outside exercising as opposed to 24 percent of boys. 

“We found there were some benefits during the first hour of daily screen use, but detrimental effects … on mental wellbeing kick in after 75 minutes in girls and 105 minutes in boys,’’ he said.

“The (health) detriment starts after two hours of screen time for girls, and four hours for boys.