Health impact of screen addiction: A cross-sectional comparative study

Area of Science:

• Digital health
• Psychological impact of screen time
• Public health in India

Background:

• Limited research exists on the health consequences of binge-watching, particularly in India.
• Previous studies focused on social media and gaming addiction, not comprehensive screen addiction.
• This study addresses the gap by comparing screen-addicted individuals with healthy users.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the physical and psychological health impacts of screen addiction versus healthy screen use.
• To investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, poor sleep, and dry eye disease in addicted users.
• To identify physical symptoms like musculoskeletal pain associated with excessive screen time.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional comparative study involving 120 participants (60 cases, 60 matched controls) from Mumbai.
• Participants were categorized based on the Digital Addiction Scale (DAS) scores.
• Validated scales (DASS-21, PSQI, OSDI) and a custom questionnaire assessed health outcomes.

Main Results:

• Screen-addicted individuals exhibited significantly higher prevalence and scores for depression, anxiety, and stress.
• Poor sleep quality, dry eye disease, loneliness, aggression, and musculoskeletal pain were more common in the addicted group.
• Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed across multiple physical and psychological health indicators.

Conclusions:

• Screen addiction is linked to substantial physical and psychological health detriments.
• There is a clear distinction in health impacts between screen-addicted individuals and healthy screen users.
• Findings highlight the need for interventions addressing screen addiction in India.