OCD in youth caused by increased screen time: Study

Each hour of using the screen might be increasing the risk of developing obsessive compulsive disorder down the road.

Screen time, be it games, cartoons, videos, texting, or calls, is seen to have a detrimental effect on children and teens. When the screen time increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, research showed that it associated closely with anxiety and depression. Adolescents are most affected by these changes as they are in development and get a lot of exposure.

The recent study in Journal of Adolescent Health by Nagata et al., regarding the relation between screen time and OCT in children showed that there is a deep link between both. This study is conducted for individuals of age 9-10 as this is considered the “critical time period in the development of OCD.”

According to research around half a million adolescents in United States suffer from OCD. What is OCD? According to NHS Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is “a common mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.”

Nagata et al. in their research state that each additional hour while playing games increases the risk of development of OCD by 15%. This percentage stands at 11% for watching videos.

Jason Nagata says that the children who play video games excessively feel the need to keep playing more and are unable to stop even if they try. Same goes for watching content on YouTube, where the algorithm keeps suggesting similar content that keeps them engaged. This can also develop into an obsession when the threat is overestimated due to excessive content regarding that topic.

Somehow increased risks of OCD are not associated with watching television shows or movies. OCD was not linked with texting, video calls, or social media but this might be because individuals this age are not that much into these activities.

The author suggests that limiting the hours of videos or video game could mitigate the risks related to OCD. The limits and rules can stop the youth from developing OCD later on in life. Although screen time has become important due to education and socialization, but awareness regarding related health issues should be spread to both parents and teachers.

The author Nagata says he aims to “understand how digital technology use impacts adolescent health” through this study.

This study will follow up on the participants for the next 10 years annually and study the relevant mental health issues associated with screen time and which ages are adolescents most sensitive to these effects.

Nagata has described the issues associated with screen time but the research by Mayo Clinic helps us in practical ways to reduce the screen time for the children. According to Mayo Clinic, we can follow the six steps below to reduce the screen time effectively: