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Preteen Screen Time Linked With Heightened Risk of OCD
In a new national study released by researchers from the University of California San Francisco, the odds of preteens developing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) over a 2-year period increased by 15% for every hour per day they played video games and 11% for every hour they watched videos.
Findings were published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The study population was composed of more than 9200 children between the ages of 9 and 10. At the outset of the study, the children reported spending an average of 3.9 hours per day on different video platforms, a statistic that used a weighted calculation ((weekday average x 5) + (weekend average x 2)/7). Screen time tracked included watching TV shows or movies, watching videos on digital platforms such as YouTube, and using social media on both weekdays and weekends. Screen use for educational content was not included.
Two years later, the children’s caregivers were asked about OCD symptoms and diagnoses. About 4.4% of the preteens had developed new-onset OCD, with video games and streaming videos linked to a higher risk of developing OCD. The researchers noted that texting, video chat, and social media didn’t link individually with OCD, but that could have been a result of the study participants not using those platforms as much.
“Children who spend excessive time playing video games report feeling the need to play more and more and being unable to stop despite trying,” study lead author Jason Nagata, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at UCSF, said in a news release. “Intrusive thoughts about video game content could develop into obsessions or compulsions.”
Similarly, Dr Nagata added, watching videos can stimulate a compulsion to watch similar content—behavior that is then potentially exacerbated by video platforms’ algorithms and advertisements.
The findings published by the UC San Francisco researchers followed a previous study they conducted that linked excessive screen time among 9- to 11-year-olds with disruptive behavior disorders, as well as a 2021 study finding that adolescent screen time had doubled during the pandemic.
“Although screen time can have important benefits such as education and increased socialization, parents should be aware of the potential risks, especially to mental health,” Dr Nagata said. “Families can develop a media use plan which could include screen-free times including before bedtime.”
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