When too much screen time can be a pain

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© Kuttig, S./plainpicture/Corbis

For some teens, more time spent in front of the TV or computer screen may mean a greater likelihood for recurring headache and backache, according to new research published this week in the journal BMC Public Health. For the study, a team of researchers from Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden analyzed TV, computer and video game use among more than 30,000 teenagers. The researchers found that the more time teens said they spent sedentary in front of screens, the greater the likelihood that they would report headache and backache. What’s more, the relationship between reports of pain and screen time was not limited by specific activity, but instead screen time — however it broke down between playing video games, toggling around online or watching TV — appeared to have a cumulative effect when it came to aches and pains.

Researchers gathered data about TV, video game and computer usage as well as subjective experience of pain through questionnaires given to teens from six different Nordic countries during a school period. They found that, though average totals varied by country, teens generally spent around 6 hours per day on the computer, playing video games or watching TV. Researchers also found that 11% to 21% of teen boys and 11% to 26% of teen girls reported suffering from regular backaches. The incidence of recurring headache was higher, with between 15% and 31% of boys and 26% to 44% of girls saying they routinely had headaches.

Across the board, among boys, researchers noted a relationship between increased screen time and increased likelihood of recurrent pain. With girls, however, this was true when it came to backache, but researchers only noted a relationship between increased TV or computer use and headache, and not between video game use and increased likelihood of recurring headache. Apart from this exception, however, the researchers consistently found that total screen time — regardless of specific activity — contributed to increased likelihood of pain. The correlation was not strong enough to suggest that screen time is a primary cause, but instead researchers suggest it may be one contributing factor. They write:

“Overall, the consistent association between screen-based activity and physical complaints might indicate that a part of the association is unrelated to the type of screen-based activity, but rather more related to the duration and ergonomic aspects of such activity.”

The researchers were prompted to do the study by increasing reports of aches and pains among adolescents, which they noted coincided with increasing popularity of screen-based activities. They note that the relationship between total video game, TV and computer time and increased pain persisted even when they took into account other factors that might limit or increase pain likelihood — such as routine physical activity, school-related stress or depressive symptoms.

As for whether it’s possible that some adolescents might spend more time in front of the TV or computer because they experience pain, and not the other way around, the authors point out that the relationship between screen time and recurring aches persisted even after controlling for physical activity levels.

The authors say a next step in the research is to see how ergonomics — actual physical positioning, etc. — when watching TV or using the computer factors into increased risk for aches and pains.