Dutch teens concerned about too much screen time

Both Dutch teenagers themselves and their parents are concerned and critical about the amount of time teenagers spend on their phone, tablet or computer, according to a study by I&O Research. About 70 percent of teenagers said they wanted to spend more time outside, NU.nl reports

The researchers spoke to 569 young people between the ages of 10 and 22, and their parents. Excluding for homework, the kids and teens have an average of 3 hours and 20 minutes screen time per day. Young people of 18 and 19 years old spend even more time behind a screen - an average of around 4 hours a day. All of the respondents agreed that 2.5 hours a day is the "right" amount of screen time.

Over half of the respondents believed that screen time leads to sleeping problems. Almost half raised concerns about eye- and concentration problems. And exactly half said screen time causes shoulder and back problems.

Earlier this year public health institute RIVM also said that young people who use their phones or other devices late into the night have more trouble sleeping than their peers who don't. And the GGD said that it is increasingly receiving reports from schools about pupils suffering from eye disorders, unhealthy weights, neck complaints and a disturbed night rhythms - "consequences of excessive screen time".