Long hours behind a screen increases risk of heart disease in children - study

This conclusion was reached by Danish researchers, whose work was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Scientists observed more than a thousand participants aged 10 and 18 years, analysing their daily time spent watching screens, as well as the duration of sleep. Particular attention was paid to the relationship between screen activity and so-called cardiometabolic risk factors - high blood pressure, high cholesterol and reduced insulin sensitivity.

The results showed that with each additional hour of screen time per day, the likelihood of developing these risk factors increased.

"This means that a child who spends three hours more behind a screen than their peers has about a quarter to half a standard deviation higher risk," explained the study's lead author, David Horner of the University of Copenhagen.

Extrapolating the data to the entire paediatric population would result in a marked increase in early cardiometabolic risk that could persist into adulthood, he said.

Although there is no complete consensus among experts on the extent of the harm of screens, most agree that children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to their negative impact.