Kids' screen time, psychological issues linked

Children who spend over two hours daily in front of television set or computer are more likely to experience psychological issues, a new study shows.

"Watching TV or playing computer games for more than two hours a day is related to greater psychological difficulties irrespective of how active children are," said lead author Dr. Angie Page, from the University of Bristol, in a release.

Even when children were moderately active, longer viewing times still led to greater psychological issues than in children who were sedentary but did not sit in front of a screen, the study found.

"Whilst low levels of screen viewing may not be problematic, we cannot rely on physical activity to 'compensate' for long hours of screen viewing.

The study of 1,000 children aged 10 and 11 tracked how much time they spent in front of a screen. A questionnaire administered by researchers found those with viewing times over two hours were more likely to report they were "unhappy, downhearted or tearful."

They also reported a greater number of problems with their peers, saying they were more likely to play alone or keep to themselves.

The report is published in the November issue of the American journal Pediatrics.