A recent study found that 15% of children and teenagers spend at least 9 hours per day using smart devices for nonacademic purposes, putting them at risk of behavioral addiction problems requiring professional intervention.  Sad news, if true.

     In an analysis of health survey data, two researchers estimated that the same children averaged 60 hours or more a week streaming, doomscrolling, marathon watching and interacting on social media.  Comparing the effects of this habit to alcoholism, they published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  Noting that teenagers attend school for roughly 6 hours a day and should sleep 8 to 10 hours a night, the researchers wrote that millions “must be using them during school and/or forgoing sleep to do so.”

     Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician and the study’s lead author, said the findings call on families to limit screen time even as academics debate whether social media addiction is a real disorder.  “No activity except school or work done for that many hours a day on a regular basis is healthy,” Dr. Christakis, also a professor at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute, told The Washington Times. “That is a cause for concern and we should act on it.”  The study said social media misuse among minors includes “inappropriate content” such as cyberbullying and artificial intelligence image filters that foster eating disorders. Moreover, it noted that the habit often distracts the minor users while driving and during other dangerous situations.