New findings from Statistics Canada have shed light on the effect of screen time on children if they follow the Canadian Paediatric Society screen time guidelines.
The guidelines recommend children aged five to 17 years old be limited to two hours a day.
In 2019 and 2023, the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth followed the same cohort of Canadian children and youth to assess changes in their health and well-being.
The children and youth were aged 3 to 11 in 2019 and aged 7 to 15 in 2023. Of those children, 44 per cent followed the screen time guidelines in both years while 12 per cent did not follow them in either year.
Overall, it found that children who followed the guidelines were more likely to have better well-being outcomes than children who did not.
Nine of of 10 children who followed the guidelines reported excellent or very good health while eight of 10 who did not reported excellent of very good health.
When it came to mental health, 80 per cent of those who kept their screen time to two hours reported excellent or good mental health compared to 66 per cent of those who did not.
Notably, nearly 70 per cent of children who followed the guidelines reported no headaches in the previous six months compared with just over 52 per cent who spent more than two hours on their phones.
| Well-being outcome | Followed guidelines in 2019 and 2023 | Did not follow guidelines in 2019 and 2023 |
| Excellent or very good health | 91.3 per cent | 81.9 per cent |
| Excellent or very good mental health | 80.0 per cent | 66.9 per cent |
| Never appeared anxious or nervous in the previous year | 21.9 per cent | 17.8 per cent |
| Never appeared sad or depressed in the previous year | 45.4 per cent | 37.7 per cent |
| No headaches in the previous six months | 69.3 per cent | 52.6 per cent |
| No difficulties falling asleep in the previous six months | 65.6 per cent | 52.8 per cent |
| Overall mark of 70 per cent or higher in school | 90.6 per cent | 86.2 per cent |
Children who kept their screen time to two hours were also less likely to experience certain challenges than children who did not.
| Functional difficulty | Followed guidelines in 2019 and 2023 | Did not follow guidelines in 2019 and 2023 |
| Anxiety disorder | 3.2 per cent | 6.6 per cent |
| Wear glasses or contact lenses | 25.4 per cent | 32.1 per cent |
| Difficulty learning things | 4.8 per cent | 5.4 per cent |
| Difficulty remembering things | 7.2 per cent | 9.8 per cent |
| Difficulty accepting change | 6.8 per cent | 9.4 per cent |
| Difficulty controlling behaviour | 5.3 per cent | 10.9 per cent |
| Difficulty making friends | 4.8 per cent | 8.2 per cent |
The survey also found nearly forty per cent more children who did not follow the guidelines used their electronic device in their bedroom before bed, but they were also more likely to talk to their parents about online privacy or safety.
| Well-being outcome | Followed guidelines in 2019 and 2023 | Did not follow guidelines in 2019 and 2023 |
| Used an electronic device in their bedroom before falling asleep in the 7 days preceding the survey | 23.8 per cent | 63.9 per cent |
| Talked with a parent or guardian about online safety at least sometimes | 82.6 per cent | 88.1 per cent |
| Talked with a parent or guardian about online privacy at least sometimes | 76.9 per cent | 83.2 per cent |
| Their parent or guardian often or always knew what the child was doing online | 88.1 per cent | 72.5 per cent |
