New study: The more children watch their phones, the higher their risk of heart disease

(Dan Tri) - A study from Denmark has shown that watching phones for many hours can cause children to lack sleep, increasing health problems that cause cardiovascular disease.

In the digital age, phone, computer and television screens have become indispensable "companions" of children and teenagers.

However, a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has shown that prolonged screen time can significantly increase the risk of cardiometabolic disease in young people, even at a very young age.

Using the phone for a long time can lead to some risks of cardiovascular disease in young children (Illustration: Unsplash).

The study was conducted within the framework of the COPSAC project (Copenhagen Future Study on Childhood Asthma), following two groups: COPSAC2010 including 700 mother-child pairs from birth to 10 years old and COPSAC2000 including 411 children born to mothers with asthma, aged from birth to 18 years old. To ensure accuracy, scientists excluded children with type 1 diabetes.

The focus of the study was on cardiometabolic risk (CMR) indices, including analysis of waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin resistance...

The results showed that in the COPSAC2010 group, each hour of screen time was associated with a slight increase in CMR scores. The increase was greater in boys (0.1 points) than in girls (0.02 points). The effect was more pronounced in 10-year-olds than in 6-year-olds. In addition, insulin resistance scores increased with age.

In the COPSAC2000 group, results obtained on 18-year-old children showed that each hour of watching electronic screens increased CMR by 0.13 points, waist circumference increased by 1.3 cm, systolic blood pressure increased by 0.63 mm Hg, HDL decreased, and inflammation and cholesterol increased.

From the above studies, scientists concluded that too much screen time can lead to less sleep, more sitting, less exercise and picky eating. All of these contribute to increased insulin resistance, inflammation and obesity, increasing the risk of heart disease later in life. Of these factors, less sleep or late sleep plays a key role.

From here, researchers also warn that children are at high risk of cardiovascular disease when watching electronic screens for too long. Accordingly, children should only use these devices for 1-2 hours/day, increase rest, exercise, eat healthily and get enough sleep.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/nghien-cuu-moi-tre-em-xem-dien-thoai-cang-nhieu-nguy-co-benh-tim-cang-cao-20250825111721136.htm