Use of digital media device in pediatric adolescents affected by anorexia nervosa

In the last years the use of digital media devices (MD) among adolescents has increased exponentially, becoming a central component of daily life for many young. The aim of the present study is to explore the use of MD in adolescents affected by anorexia nervosa (AN), compared to healthy ones. Furthermore, we compared MD use between inpatient and outpatient adolescents with AN.

This single-center prospective study enrolled patients aged 9-18 years affected by AN and admitted at IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy, between January 2024 and August 2024. Participants completed a questionnaire to explore their relationship with MD in terms of time of use, addiction, activities, parents' role, MD consequences and children perception. Results from AN patients were then compared to those of the general population cohort described in our previous paper.

During the study period, 113 patients were enrolled. AN patients spent less time per day on screens compared to controls. In detail, the majority of AN adolescents (40.6%) spent between two and three hours per day on MD, while most of the control group (54%) spends more than three hours per day on screen (p < 0.001). Furthermore, both AN (69.9%) and control (56%) group primarily uses MD before going to bed. Finally, most of AN individual (43.6%) primarily uses devices for browsing social networks, showing a statistically significant difference compared to controls (24.0%, p = 0.044). Notably, children aged 9-14 years also largely use MD to access social networks (40.8%). AN outpatients statistically use MD for a prolonged time compared to AN inpatients.

AN patients spend less time per day on screens compared to the general population. This habit may find a possible explanation in a polarization of thinking about food. An alarming fact is the strong relationship of adolescents with MD even among the youngest - aged 9-14 years - and the difficulty in renouncing it for a limited period. In conclusion, we believe it is necessary to intensify controls in order to safeguard the mental health of children.