All the health problems that screens can cause in children and adolescents

BarcelonaHealth problems derived from intensive screen exposure are no longer a future threat for young people: they are a reality. The consequences vary according to the life stage, but the combination of risks over the years can favor the appearance of pathologies, some irreversible, among children and adolescents. From 0 to 6 years old, the inappropriate use of technologies can cause them to start speaking later, develop myopia, or have motor difficulties. Between 7 and 11 years old, it can worsen sleep, favor overweight and the appearance of cavities, and affect academic performance. And from 12 to 18 years old, it can increase emotional distress, distort self-image –and the perception of personal worth– and increase vulnerability to patterns of violence and harassment, both inside and outside social networks.

This is the diagnosis made by the Department of Health in its new guide of recommendations for responsible and conscious digitalization with the impact on health during youth, based on some 700 unique reviews of international scientific literature. The document includes a description of specific risk factors for each maturational stage, as well as recommendations for society and the administration to minimize the effects and favor healthy technological environments, "not dictated by the industry". Regarding the evidence it collects, health authorities have taken into account both the patterns and prevalence of technology use and the social conditions that accompany it: the type of activities young people do with technologies, the degree of parental accompaniment, digital skills, and the socioeconomic context in which they live, among others.

"The goal is to offer a reference framework based on evidence and professional consensus, with practical tools and guidance, to promote more conscious and healthy use," they state from the department. And, finally, to create public policies "coordinated with other departments of the Generalitat." Although the content of these recommendations has not yet been made public, the deputy director general of Addictions of the Generalitat, Lluïsa Conejos, has shown support for there to be a consensus among administrations to delay children's contact with social media and mobile phones and to provide tools to families and educators to prevent the effects associated with screen use. She also highlighted the importance for adults to be more conscious of their own mobile phone use and to be a good role model for children and young people.

Usage patterns from 14 to 18 years old

Conejos reminded that 99% of adults and 82.4% of the population between 0 and 20 years old have a mobile phone. In primary education, 51.6% of children have one, but the figure rises to practically all secondary school students (92.9%). The age of access to the first mobile phone in Catalonia is 10.8 years and 92.5% have at least one profile on social networks. Three out of every four (75.8%) have three or more. Conejos has pointed out the importance of delaying access to this technology because, by having a mobile phone, many boys and girls access social networks when they still do not have the capacity to "discriminate and discern".

Data from the Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education in Spain (Estudes) of 2025 also confirm that Catalan students aged 14 to 18 spend an average of 4.8 hours a day connected to the internet for leisure during the week, a figure that rises to 6.7 hours a day during the weekend. Currently, nearly one in four students (23%) shows possible compulsive internet use, an indicator calculated based on the frequency with which they experience symptoms such as sleeping less or wanting to spend less time with others in order to stay connected. In fact, one third of young people aged 14 to 18 show possible problematic use of social networks.

What about video games? Use is almost universal among boys (97%), while among girls it is 72.8%. The differences also become evident in playtime: one in every two boys spends more than two hours a day on them, compared to one in every seven girls. 10.7% of boys and 2.2% of girls show signs of a possible gaming disorder, according to diagnostic criteria.

Irreversible effects?

In the educational field, mobile phones and smartwatches are prohibited: as of this school year, no student may use a mobile phone in either primary or secondary school. However, the educational effects can already be observed, according to Conejos, who has also admitted that the excess of screens could be related to the poor results of the PISA report. "Adolescents with low scores in these assessments surely come from previous backgrounds in childhood where learning was not as rich as it should have been and where the use of screens also had a presence," he anticipated.

But the authorities consider that, until now, the debate about screens has focused mainly on the risks to educational quality and less on the consequences for the health of younger users. Conejos has also explained that there are "irreversible" effects, especially referring to the impacts that occur during early childhood and especially in the first years of life. He has given as an example the bond between parents and children: if adults are "not very present" or, even, "connected to their own screens," the impact on the little ones can be "irreparable".