the impact of media on child and adolescent health copy · available on the impact of cell phones....

The Impact of Media on Child and Adolescent Health

Assist. Prof. Chanyut Suphakunpinyo, MD Developmental Behavioral Unit

Department of Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine Khon Kaen University

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• More than 50 years of media research attests to the significant influence of media on child and adolescent health.

• Both “old” media (television, movies, magazines) and “new” media (the Internet and social networking sites, video/computer games, cell phones) can have an impact on virtually every health concern that practitioners and parents have about young people.

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• Although the media are not the leading cause of any of these problems, the research reviewed here suggests that they are significant.

• Yet, despite the evidence of potential harm, there is also evidence that media can be beneficial for youth (eg, by increasing empathy and acceptance of diversity through modeling of prosocial behaviors and developing children’s early literacy skills through educational programming).

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• Health and Safety

• Concerns include both behavior-related maladies (obesity, violence, drug use) and threats to physical health (vision, hearing, injury, cancer).

• In addition, some researchers have examined health benefits related to electronic media use.

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• Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, and California Pacific Medical Center reviewed 173 quantitative studies examining the relationship between media exposure and seven health outcomes:

> childhood obesity

> tobacco use

> sexual behavior

> drug use

> alcohol use

> low academic achievement

> attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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• In 80% of the studies, greater media exposure is associated with negative health outcomes for children and adolescents.

• This meta-analysis of the best studies on media and child health published in the last 28 years clearly shows the connection between media exposure and long-term negative health outcomes, especially childhood obesity, tobacco use, and sexual activity.

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• The reviewers searched for studies on all types of media (including television, movies, the Internet, video games, magazines, and music), but most of the quality studies found involved television, movies, and music.

• Fewer studies were available that examined the impact of the Internet and video games, and no studies were available on the impact of cell phones.

• Because use of new media by kids is rising dramatically, future studies should clearly focus on new media to improve the understanding of the impact on kids.

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December 2008 / Systematic review by Common Sense Media

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Childhood Obesity Strength of Evidence: Grade A

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Tobacco Use Strength of Evidence: Grade A

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Low Academic Achievement Strength of Evidence: Grade B

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The Radio Frequency Electromagnatic Radiation VS Health : Cancer?

Mobile phone

Wifi

Power line

Mast and station

Microwave

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Mobile phones, wifi and power lines

Cancer Research UK, Last reviewed: 24 March 2015

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-controversies/mobile-phones-wifi-and-power-lines

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What does the evidence show about mobile phones and cancer?

• So far, the scientific evidence shows it is unlikely that mobile phones could increase the risk of brain tumors, or any other type of cancer. But we do not know enough to completely rule out a risk.

• In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified mobile phones for the first time in their 'goldstandard' rating system. They said the devices could 'possibly' cause cancer in humans (group 2B), but there wasn't enough evidence to come to a clear conclusion.

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What does the evidence say?

• The largest study so far on mobile phones and cancer is part of the Million Women Study and included around 790,000 women.

• It found no link between use of mobile phones and brain tumors or 18 other types of cancer. There was also no increased risk for most types of brain tumor, including the two most common (glioma and meningioma).

• But they did see a raised risk of one rare type of brain tumor (acoustic neuroma) for women who had used mobile phones for at least five years. But in an update to the findings, based on including another two years of data in their analysis, there was no longer a raised risk of acoustic neuroma.

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Is the radiation from mobile phones dangerous?

• There still aren't any good explanations for how mobile phones could cause cancer.

• The radio frequency electromagnetic radiation they transmit and receive is very weak. This radiation does not have enough energy to damage DNA, and cannot directly cause cancer.

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What about masts and base stations?

• Mobile phone masts and base stations are unlikely to increase your cancer risk.

• They were included in the 2012 review, mentioned above, which found no convincing evidence that the radiation they gave off could affect your health.

• The exposure you would get from a base station is usually at least a hundred times below international guidelines. And it is much less than the exposure you would get from a phone.

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Taking precautions

• Mobile phones are a relatively recent invention. So far, studies have indicated that using these phones for about 10 years is unlikely to cause cancer. But we cannot be completely sure about their long-term effects.

• And there have not been enough studies looking at how mobile phone use could affect the health of children.

• Research is underway to fill both of these gaps in our knowledge. Until we get a conclusive answer, the Government recommends some precautions for people who have concerns.

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Wi-Fi and Smart Meters

• There has been some media speculation that Wireless internet (WiFi) and smart meters, which can be used to record energy use in your home and transmit it back to your energy provider, could cause cancer.

• Smart meters and WiFi both use radio waves to send information.

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Wi-Fi and Smart Meters

• The radio waves produced by WiFi and smart meters are very low power, much lower than those given off by mobile phones, and well within international guidelines.

• The evidence to date suggests exposures to the radio waves produced by smart meters and WiFi do not pose a health risk.

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Power lines

• A different type of radiation (extremely low frequency EMF) is associated with power lines. It is important to note that the type of radiation given off by power lines is different to that given off by household appliances and mobile phones.

• There is little strong evidence to link power lines to adult cancers, or to most types of childhood cancer.

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Power lines

• But some studies have suggested a statistical link between exposure to magnetic fields and a higher risk of childhood leukemia.

• At the moment, we don't have enough convincing evidence to be sure whether the link is real, but if it were, the impact would be small only around 1% of childhood leukemias.

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Power lines

• Power lines and childhood leukemia the evidence isn't clear

• It is difficult to carry out research into exposure to magnetic fields and risk of childhood leukemia, and there is no clear indication of what should be measured and when.

• So research that puts together results from a number of different studies is useful to help get a clearer overview.

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Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Injuries

• A recent comprehensive literature review of research relating computer use to injury found consistent evidence that computer use was associated with greater risk of hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow injuries, related to both keyboard and mouse use.

• Risk increased with number of hours of use, and was especially pronounced at levels over 20 hours per week.

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Children and Computer Vision Syndrome

Many pediatric eye doctors believe that heavy computer use among children puts them at risk for early myopia. Recent research appears to confirm that fear.

A large study conducted by the National Eye Institute and published in the December 2009 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology found that the prevalence of nearsightedness among Americans has increased from 25 percent to 41.6 percent of the population over the past 30 years — an increase of more than 66 percent.

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Sitting for hours in front of a computer screen stresses a child's eyes because the computer forces the child's vision system to focus and strain a lot more than any other task.

This can put children at an even greater risk than adults for developing symptoms of computer vision syndrome.

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Today it is a "near-point world," and parents need to be aware of the vision problems associated with computer work.

Computer use demands fine motor skills from young eyes that are not well developed. Only when the visual system matures is a child better able to handle the stress of a computer on that system.

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According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), parents should consider these factors affecting children and computer use:

Children may not be aware of how much time they are spending at a computer.

Children are very adaptable. They assume that what they see and how they see is normal — even if their vision is problematic.

Children are smaller than adults. Since computer workstations often are arranged for adult use, this can change the viewing angle for young children.

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Tips To Reduce the Risk of Computer Vision Syndrome in Children

Have your child's vision checked.

Limit the amount of time your child spends at the computer without a break. (Some eye doctors call this the "20-20 rule.")

Check the ergonomics of the workstation.

Check the lighting.

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Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)

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Positive Health Influences

• A recent survey reveals that 28 percent of adolescents ages 12-17 who use the Internet use it to access information on health, dieting, and physical exercise; however, the impact of that information on their health is unknown.

• In addition, there is some evidence that social marketing campaigns using electronic media have been successful in positively affecting health behaviors of adolescents.

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• Social Development

• Subrahmanyam and Greenfield (2008) conclude that, where relationships with others are concerned, adolescents use the Internet primarily to strengthen existing “offline” relationships with friends and romantic interests. They also indicate that online interaction with strangers (strangers at least in terms of their offline lives) can help relieve social anxiety and social isolation for some.

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• Education

• Research indicates that, while access to computers in the home is associated with better education outcomes, the effects of television use on education outcomes only appear once program content is taken into account.

• Television and Academic Performance.

• Children who watch excessive amounts of television score lower on standardized academic assessments than those who watch less television.

• However, when researchers control for factors like IQ and socioeconomic status, this relationship generally disappears.

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• Education

• Research that takes into account program content generally finds that educational programming is associated with positive academic outcomes while entertainment programs are negatively associated, though most of that research focuses on young children rather than adolescents.

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• Computer literacy is increasingly acknowledged as a valuable and necessary workforce skill. • Those entering the workforce with inferior or no skills in basic computer

skills (word processing, spreadsheets, creating presentations) and Internet skills (research, communications) are at a distinct disadvantage

in many cases.

• Some research indicates that such skills are generally better developed among youth from more advantaged backgrounds, even among those who have ready access to computers and the Internet.

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Recommendations

• While there are many factors that contribute to negative health results for children, media is a crucial one.

• There are several steps this nation can take to reduce the negative impact of media on kids, and encourage positive growth and learning.

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What parents can do:

> Limit and balance the amount of time kids use media.

> Talk with kids about media. > Choose appropriate media.

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What policymakers can do:

> Develop and fund a major national media literacy and education effort.

> Fund more research and development on media and kids.

> Establish clear limits on advertising to kids.

> Fund public service advertising campaigns that encourage healthy habits.

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What the media industry can do:

> Be more responsible and responsive to kids and families.

> Educate kids and families about media. > Create more and better educational

media.

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What schools can do:

> Adopt a media literacy curriculum.

> Teach kids and families to be smart and safe media users. > Promote digital citizenship.

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