Parents warned to limit their children's screen time, as research finds youngsters glued to smartphones and tablets have smaller brains and lower IQs
Parents are being warned to limit children's screen time after a study found it could lead to them having smaller brains and lower intelligence.
Scientists found children who watched television and used smartphones, tablets and computers had, on average, lower IQs and less intracranial volume (ICV) – a marker for brain size.
In contrast, children who exercised in their spare time were likely to be more intelligent and had a larger brain volume, according to the research.
The study used databases from across Europe that contained information from thousands of children on IQ, screen use and physical exercise.
This was analysed to establish whether there was any link between leisure time habits, intelligence and ICV – the total space within the skull which is used as a proxy for the maximum size of the brain.
Larger ICV has been linked to superior intelligence.
The researchers, based in China, say their results provide further evidence that excessive screen time has a lifelong impact on children's brain development.
'These findings highlight the critical need to manage and regulate children's media use while also promoting increased physical activity,' they wrote in the journal Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.
Scientists found children who watched television and used smartphones, tablets and computers had, on average, lower IQs and less intracranial volume (ICV) – a marker for brain size
The study comes as children's screen time use has rocketed in recent years.
The average amount of time British children aged five to 15 spend on screens rose from nine hours a week in 2009 to 15 hours a week in 2018, according to a House of Commons education committee report from last year.
While there can be benefits, including building friendships and improving learning, negative effects include online bullying, exposure to violence and pornography, lower levels of physical activity and eye strain.
Sir Cary Cooper, a psychology professor at the University of Manchester, said: 'Children are using these devices and they are not learning social and non-verbal skills that we pick up from interacting, face-to-face, with other people.'
