Excessive screen time from playing video games and watching YouTube can increase the risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children, a study suggests.
Every hour spent playing video games raises this risk by 13 percent while streaming videos is associated with an 11 percent raised risk.
OCD systems include repetitive unwanted or unpleasant thoughts or compulsive behaviour which only behavioural therapy and medication can counter.
Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, recruited 9,204 children aged nine to 10 to survey how long they spent gaming and watching TV and explain the results to parents two years later.
Researchers found that children spent nearly four hours looking at screens, not including the time they spent on electronic devices at school.
In a follow-up, they revealed that 405 children had been diagnosed with OCD.
Children who spent more time streaming videos displayed more symptoms for OCD, whereas texting, video calling, and social media usage was not linked to a higher risk. This might also be because children do not use social media as much as preteens and older teens do.
Dr Jason Nagata, a paediatrician at the University of California, San Francisco, who led the study, said in a press release:
‘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.’
‘Families can develop a media use plan which could include screen-free times including before bedtime.’
