Hong Kong children face health risk from too much screen time, according to new research
For every extra hour spent in front of televisions and digital screens, risk of developing illness increases, researchers at the University of Hong Kong warn
Children in Hong Kong are spending more time in front of screens than their peers in mainland China and the US, exposing them further to the risk of mental and physical health problems as they get older, according to comprehensive new research.
A four-year study by the University of Hong Kong found that the more time children spent watching television and playing games on digital devices, the more likely they were to be overweight and develop behavioural problems when they grew older.
In a separate study that targeted primary school pupils, HKU researchers found that Hong Kong had a higher proportion of children who spent at least two hours of screen time a day compared with youths in the United States and mainland China.
From 2011 to 2015, researchers conducted a longitudinal study of 681 children from when they were five years old in kindergarten until the age of nine in primary school. The study examined their habits of using digital devices and assessed them on their behaviour, psychosocial development and academic performance.
