It’s been every parent’s growing nightmare, but now there might be serious consequences of screen time on children’s brains. 

World-first scans conducted in the United States on children aged three to five have shocked the paediatric world.

They show a loss of white brain matter, known as myelin, the stuff needed to ensure our axons and neurons communicate. The more screen time the child is exposed to, the greater the apparent damage to the brain.

Deficits in myelin production early in life can translate to deficits in neural connectivity.

Paediatrician and brain researcher Dr John Hutton’s research points to a link between screen time and loss of white brain matter, with the biggest fear being increased mental health issues and a generation of kids not being able to meet their potential.

“I think we are at risk of really having a lot of kids in a whole generation that’s gonna struggle unnecessarily,” Hutton said.

He said there was no”safe limit” for kids being on devices and no necessary reason for a child aged from babyhood to eight to be using screens regularly.

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