The effects of digital media use on children’s physical health are not as extensively covered in scientific literature as other screen effects (e.g., psychological health), and garner less attention in public discourse and policy. There is, however, emerging evidence showing that children’s digital device use can dramatically impact their physical well-being. This section of “Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence” highlights key findings in the fields of children’s ocular health, weight, nutrition, drug and firearm use, and physical injuries in relation to digital device use. While challenges remain to proving causality between these factors, the research presented in this section of the handbook advocates for policy development that restricts digital marketing to children, encourages physical movement, and requires digital devices to carry warnings for possible injuries.
Recommendations
The following recommendations are excerpts from the "Screens and Physical Health" section of the “Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence." This open access publication is free to download in full or by individual chapters via the links provided following the recommendations below.
- Discuss with families how digital device use impacts physical health.
- Instruct families to secure large electronic digital devices to prevent physical injuries.
- Encourage families to develop tailored media plans.
- Create household media rules and goals.
- Prioritize family time without screens.
- Model desired health behaviors.
- Develop an understanding of how food marketing affects children.
- Make sleep a family priority with a screen-free sleep routine.
- Consider sleep a contributing factor in children’s behavioral issues.
- Limit device use, especially for children under 12 years of age, and ensure device breaks every 30 minutes.
- Ensure digital media use is mentally or physically stimulating.
- Inform children about the consequences of extended sedentary time and encourage movement.
- Dispel the myth that hands-free driving is always safe.
- Provide students with media literacy education.
- Increase funding for research on children’s screen use and physical health.
- Implement evidence-informed digital device regulations that protect and promote children’s physical health.
- Introduce legislation that minimizes youth exposure to unhealthy food marketing and limits user data collection.
- Develop infrastructures that promote inclusive physical activity.
- Include digital media use in public health frameworks.
- Require digital device makers to include warnings on products that promote injury.
- Provide resources for developing, promoting, and implementing health guidelines.
- Update parental and user controls along with the advancing tech landscape.
- Regulate collection and use of children’s data.
- Develop ethics codes to minimize harm to children.
- Consider repercussions of media content promoting physical injuries.
- Strategize how to evolve with the changing field.
- Be mindful of content and context when researching digital media use.
- Consider the prevalence of media multitasking when determining media use rates and impacts on interpretations of findings.
- Create more rigorous, standardized measurement tools.
- Develop and test intervention strategies for mitigating effects of digital device use on children’s physical health.
- Become involved in legislation overseeing relationships between digital devices and children’s physical health.
- Explore how digital tech can be used to promote and facilitate physical health.
Screens and Physical Health Section Chapters
Introduction to the Section on Screens and Physical Health
Lauren Hale, PhD
Digital Screen Media Use, Movement Behaviors and Child Health
Mark S. Tremblay, PhD, Nicholas Kuzik, PhD, Stuart J.H. Biddle, PhD, Valerie Carson, PhD, Mai J.M. Chinapaw, PhD, Dorothea Dumuid, PhD, Wendy Yajun Huang, PhD, Travis J. Saunders, PhD, Amanda E. Staiano, PhD, MPP, Russell R. Pate, PhD
Screen Media, Obesity, and Nutrition
Amanda E. Staiano, PhD, MPP, Alyssa M. Button, PhD, Gary S. Goldfield, PhD, Thomas N. Robinson, MD, MPH, Jorge Mota, PhD, Susan J. Woolford, MD, MPH, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, PhD
Digital Food Marketing and Children’s Health and Well-being
Jennifer L. Harris, PhD, MBA , Frances Fleming-Milici, PhD, Ashley N. Gearhardt, PhD, Sonya Grier, PhD, MBA, Kathryn Montgomery, PhD, Maria Romo-Palafox, PhD, RDN, LD, Mimi Tatlow-Golden, PhD
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearm Promotion in Digital Media: Corporate Influences on Adolescent Health
Jennifer A. Emond, PhD, MSc, Jeffrey Chester, MSW, Jonathan Noel, PhD, MPH, Jon-Patrick Allem, PhD, Brad J. Bushman, PhD, MA, EdM, Brian Primack, MD, PhD, MSc, EdM, James D. Sargent, MD
What Do We Know About the Link Between Screens and Sleep Health?
Lauren Hale, PhD, Lauren E. Hartstein, PhD, Rebecca Robbins, PhD, Michael A. Grandner, PhD, MTR, CBSM, FAASM, Monique K. LeBourgeois, PhD, Michelle M. Garrison, PhD, MPH, Charles A. Czeisler, MD, PhD
Screen Use, Physical Injuries, and Orthopedic Health
Jennifer Manganello, PhD, MPH, Lara B. McKenzie, PhD, MA, FAAHB, Despina Stavrinos, PhD, Leon Straker,PhD, MSc, BAppSc
Problematic Use of the Internet: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part One: Research Concerning Cognitive, Physical, Mental, and Psychosocial Impacts on Children, Problematic Use of the Internet Section (pages 173-209)
Video Gaming, Violence, and Gambling: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part Three: Digital Domains, Video Gaming, Violence, and Gambling Section (pages 569-603)
Media Policy: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part Two: Research on How Media Influence Relationships, Family, Culture, and Society, Media Policy Section (pages 465-514)
Race, Racism, and Digital Media: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part Two: Research on How Media Influence Relationships, Family, Culture, and Society, Race, Racism, and Digital Media Section (pages 263-316)
Gender, Sexuality, and Digital Media: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part Two: Research on How Media Influence Relationships, Family, Culture, and Society, Gender, Sexuality, and Digital Media Section (pages 317-370)
Digital Media, Cognition, and Brain Development: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part One: Research Concerning Cognitive, Physical, Mental, and Psychosocial Impacts on Children, Digital Media, Cognition, and Brain Development Section (pages 7-60)
Boys, Health, and Digital Media
Digital media's effects on boys' health and development: a guide from the experts
How does screen use impact vision?
Does screen use impact ocular health in children? And does it impact visual processing in the brain?
Copycat: Social Contagion, Online Viral Behavior, and Youth
What should parents and caregivers know about vulnerability to social contagion—and how is it being supercharged by the large volume of digital content and social media algorithms?
Social Media, Drugs, and Youth: What Parents Need to Know
Does screen media exposure cause obesity in children?
Is increased screen time linked to youth obesity? Does time spent watching TV, playing video games, or scrolling social media impact body weight?
The Rise of Dr. Google: How to Help Youth Develop Skills to Find Accurate Health Information Online
How can families, schools, and communities encourage digital health literacy and help children use a critical lens to find trusted sources for health advice?