Screen Time Linked to Higher Cardiometabolic Risk in Children, Teens

THURSDAY, Aug. 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Screen time is associated with higher cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

David Horner, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and colleagues examined data from more than 1,000 participants in the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood mother-child 2000 and 2010 cohorts. Discretionary screen time was assessed in relation to a composite cardiometabolic risk score, which was based on Z scores of waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose.

The researchers found that in both children and adolescents, each additional hour of screen time was associated with higher cardiometabolic risk (β = 0.08 and 0.13, respectively). In both cohorts, sleep duration significantly moderated this association, with an elevated risk seen among those with shorter sleep. There was also an association seen for screen time with higher predicted cardiovascular risk in adolescence (β = 0.07). A screen time-associated metabolomics signature that was identified in childhood was validated in adolescence (β = 0.14).

“We were able to detect a set of blood-metabolite changes, a “screen-time fingerprint,” validating the potential biological impact of the screen time behavior,” Horner said in a statement. “Using the same metabolomics data, we also assessed whether screen time was linked to predicted cardiovascular risk in adulthood, finding a positive trend in childhood and a significant association in adolescence. This suggests that screen-related metabolic changes may carry early signals of long-term heart health risk.”

Abstract/Full Text