Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.

Use escape to exit the menu.

When it comes to screen time and kids, less is more.

That’s according to a recent Denmark study led by Dr. Jesper Schmidt-Persson from the University of Southern Denmark. It looked at the effects of reduced screen media exposure on youth mental health.

Eighty-nine families with a total of 181 children and teens were randomly assigned to one of two groups. 

KIDS AND SMARTPHONES: HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG? EXPERTS REVEAL IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS

The first group had to surrender their smartphones and tablets for a two-week period, and limit use of other screen media — such as TV and computers — to three hours or less per week, not counting work or school. 

The control group did not have any limitations. 

The average ages of the children ranged from 4 to 17, averaging at 8 to 9 years old.

The families filled out a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at the end of the study period that gauged the children’s psychological symptoms.

SCREEN TIME FOR KIDS UNDER AGE 2 IS LINKED TO SENSORY DIFFERENCES IN TODDLERHOOD, NEW STUDY FINDS

The groups that limited kids’ screen exposure saw improvements in mental health — particularly in how they managed their emotions and communicated with peers in helpful, considerate ways, plus a decrease in behavioral difficulties.

The findings were published in JAMA Network Open last month.

Fox News Digital reached out to the lead researcher for comment.

Risks of excess screen time for kids

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory related to youth social media use, emphasizing mental health concerns.

“There is evidence that children who have excessive screen time or access to social media at young ages are more likely to be depressed or anxious,” Dr. Joshua Stein, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical director at PrairieCare in Minnesota, previously told Fox News Digital.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory related to social media use among youth, emphasizing mental health concerns. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

The expert cited a Gallup research study from 2023, which noted that teens who were on screens more than five hours a day were 60% more likely to express suicidal thoughts or self-harm. 

“Those children were 2.8 times more likely to have a negative body view and 30% more likely to describe ‘a lot of sadness,’” added Stein, who was not involved in the Denmark research.

LIMITING SCREEN TIME IN INFANTS MAY DECREASE RISK OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER, STUDY FINDS

Access to smartphones and social media increases the risk of cyberbullying, depression, sleep-related concerns, self-harm and body image issues, according to Stein.

“It can also lower self-esteem, and can socially pressure people to act outside their morals and family beliefs,” he added.

What’s a healthy amount of screen time for kids?

For kids ages 2 and older, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends capping screen time at two hours per day. 

It discourages any use of media for children younger than age 2, per its website.

For kids ages 2 and older, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a cap of screen time at two hours per day.  (iStock)

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) outlines specific guidelines for each age group on its website.

For babies up to 18 months, it recommends limiting screen use to video chatting with an adult.

Between a child’s age of 18 month and 24 months, its guideline is to use screens only for educational programming.

For kids between 2 and 5 years of age, the AACAP recommends a limit of one hour per weekday and three hours on weekends for any non-educational screen time.

“To be honest and point blank, the least amount of screen time is healthy for children,” an expert told Fox News Digital. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

It does not specify an hourly limit for ages 6 and older, but does recommend encouraging healthy habits and limiting screen-based activities.

“To be honest and point blank, the least amount of screen time is healthy for children,” Dr. Zeyad Baker, a pediatric physician with Baker Health in New Jersey, previously told Fox News Digital.

He admitted that it gets trickier for parents to moderate use when kids need to do homework online — and he believes the quality of screen time comes into play when setting limits.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health

“I think if you are doing family screen time on an educational level or if kids are using screen time to dig deep into valuable information and topics at a limited capacity, that is very different from watching and absorbing mindless content on the internet on a consistent basis,” Baker said.

An expert recommends only allowing children to have access to social media or certain television channels on the weekend and limiting screen time to academic-related content during the week. (Cyberguy.com)

He recommends only allowing children to have access to social media or certain television channels on the weekend and limiting screen time to academic-related content during the week.

Parents should not make screen time limitations come across as punishment, the expert noted.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

“Instead, they should encourage other activities, like going outside to play,” he said. 

“Not only is that good for physical health, by adding activity and increasing vitamin D levels, but it’s also great for their mental health.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the biggest causes of mortality in 2023.

The report, published by the agency on Aug. 8, was based on death records from the National Vital Statistics System.

A total of 3,090,582 deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2023, a decline of 6.1% compared to 2022, the report stated.

HEART ATTACK RISK COULD RISE WITH ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER CONSUMPTION, STUDY FINDS

“The overall death rate is decreasing,” Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.

“The key change is decreased deaths from COVID as the population builds up more immunity.”

COVID was the fourth leading cause of mortality in 2022, linked to 245,614 deaths. 

It plummeted to the 10th cause in 2023, with 76,446 deaths.

Death rates were highest among the elderly, males and Black people, Siegel noted.

THESE 17 CANCER TYPES ARE MORE COMMON IN GEN X AND MILLENNIALS, AS STUDY NOTES ‘ALARMING TREND’

“This is not a surprise because of increasing risks in these groups, including high blood pressure and heart disease,” he said.

Considering demographic groups, overall death rates were lowest among “non-Hispanic multiracial” and highest among “non-Hispanic Black or African American persons,” the report confirmed.

The top 10 causes of death in 2023, as reported by the CDC. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Top 10 causes of death for 2023

Below are the top 10 leading underlying causes of death in the U.S., as compiled by the CDC using data from the National Vital Statistics System.

1. Heart disease
2. Cancer
3. Unintentional injury
4. Stroke
5. Chronic lower respiratory diseases
6. Alzheimer’s disease
7. Diabetes
8. Kidney disease
9. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
10. COVID-19

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

There were some limitations in the study, the CDC acknowledged.

“Data are provisional, and numbers and rates might change as additional information is received,” the agency wrote in the report.

Heart disease was once again the top cause of death in 2023. (iStock)

The actual death count may be higher in some categories due to a lag time in reporting.

Different jurisdictions may also submit death certificates on varying timelines, the agency noted.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health

There is also the “potential for misclassification” among certain races and ethnicities, per the report, so that “death rates for some groups might be underestimated or overestimated.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the CDC and additional physicians for comment.