A new study has found that queer kids aged 10-14 are spending way longer staring at their screens than their straight counterparts. And it’s probably not good for them.
The study says they spend around 10.4 hours on their screens each day. That’s a whopping four hours more than straight kids.
The study was published in the Annals of Epidemiology.
It looked at data on over 10,000 preteens culled between 2018-2020. All the youngsters signed up to take part in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. It’s largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States.
The study’s lead author is Jason Nagata, MD, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.
“Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents are more likely to experience school-based bullying and exclusion from peer groups due to their sexual orientation, leading them to spend less time in traditional school activities and more time on screens,” says Nagata in a press statement.
“Texting, and using social media and the internet for virtual communication could be helpful for LGB preteens to find and receive support from other LGB people who may not be available in their local communities.”
On the downside, the kids were also asked if they thought their screen time was problematic. They were asked if they agreed with statements such as, “I play video games so much that it has a bad effect on my schoolwork,” and “I’ve tried to use my social media apps less but I can’t.”
The study concluded that LGB adolescents experienced higher problematic mobile phone and social media use than their straight peers.
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Escaping into an online world of gaming and YouTube videos
Nagata told Queerty that turning to the digital world and the internet had benefits but also downsides for gay youngsters.
“Queer youth who don’t have support in their local communities may turn to the internet to find and receive the help they need. Screens can also be helpful to stay in touch with friends and family who live far away.
“Risks of screen use include poorer sleep, less physical activity, and mental health consequences associated with overuse. In another recent study, we found a higher risk of sleep problems among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth compared to straight youth.”
According to its authors, one of the study’s limitations is that most people don’t identify their sexual orientation until they’re about 17 or 18. Therefore, some of the young participants who said they were straight may turn out to identify as gay when older.
“Some of the adolescents in our study might not have come out yet or fully understand their sexuality. When children in this study were 9-10 years old, 1.5% identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. By age 11-12, 4.4% identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and 3.8% were questioning. The percentage of study participants who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual will likely increase through their teenage years.”
The study did not seek to ask kids exactly what they were watching online. However, it noted many said they watch a lot of YouTube videos.
Do parents know how much time their kids spend online?
The researchers recommend parents are aware of how much time their children spend online. It suggests they are active in discussing these issues with their offspring.
“Parents should regularly talk to their teens about screen usage and develop a family media use plan. Parents can develop a family media use plan which could include setting limits and encouraging screen-free time, such as before bedtime or during family meals,” he told Queerty.
“We know screen use interferes with sleep, and good sleep is important for mental health.”
He also recommends parents keep an eye on their kids’ eating habits. This is because “Social media use is linked to body image dissatisfaction in LGB youth.”
Is there a set number of hours that kids should spend looking at their screens?
“The American Academy of Pediatrics used to recommend less than two hours of daily screen time for children and adolescents ages 5 to 18,” he replies. “Now they are moving away from giving specific hours because the reality is that most kids spend far more than two hours a day on screens, and not all screen time is equal. Now they recommend creating a plan based on what makes sense for your family given your kids’ screen habits and your family’s situation.”
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FreddieW
“One of the study’s limitations is that most people don’t identify their sexual orientation until they’re about 17 or 18.”
That’s difficult to believe. I knew I was homosexual when I was 12, before some of my peers even knew what that word meant.
FreddieW
I imagine that the Christian Right will latch onto any study claiming that teenagers don’t recognize their sexuality until 18 as an excuse for passing “Don’t say gay” laws.
inbama
Every long term study shows that most children suffering from Gender Dysphoria come to accept themselves as merely gay or lesbian after puberty. When you “affirm” the cross-sex identity of such children and put them on on puberty blockers, just like their bodies, their brains do not sexually mature and self-knowledge is denied them. Recent studies showed nearly 100% of those kids proceed to transition and become lifelong medical patients risking serious side effects like osteoporosis as early as at age 20. This is why European nations are abandoning puberty blockers and instead recommending exploratory talk therapy to find out why the child believes they are the opposite sex.
Biden needs to visit Finland.
bachy
One difficulty with spending too much time online is that it is difficult to assess what you’re reading. Is this article/comment/essay submitted by someone who is intelligent, sane, educated and well-meaning? Is the writer angry? Alcoholic? Drug-addled? An ideologue? An anarchist? A straight up liar? A bot? A Russian propagandist? A psychopath?
Many subtle, visual and subconscious cues we use to analyze messages in the real world are largely missing. How do I feel in this person’s presence? How do they self-present? Are they groomed? Are they abusing substances? Do they seem friendly or antagonistic? There are a host of cues that even adults cannot effectively evaluate online. Children must have even more difficulty taking measure of what they’re reading before digesting it.
inbama
Every generation knew children needed some degree of certainty. We are watching a huge social experiment that is already proving to be a train wreck.