'No doubt' there is a link between screen usage and ADHD in children

A Childhood Development Expert has revealed there is 'no doubt' that there is a link between ADHD in children and screentime. 

Ollwyn Moran is the CEO of CogniKids and a mother of two boys. 

She says that between the ages of zero and three a child's brain is developing at an enormous rate and during this time, it needs movement and social connection.

Screens stimulate the left side of the brain more than the right, but between those ages the right side should be more active. 

This is the relationship, attachment, and connection part of the brain.

"The earlier a screen is introduced, particularly before the age of three, it means that that right side of the brain hasn't had time to really develop and create those connections, those feelings of attachment, bonding, and social interaction," Ollwyn said. 

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Children and babies using screens can massively impact their social and emotional world but also their attention span. 

"They really do impact massively in terms of kids being able to have that attention that's required for schooling, for completing homework, for doing tasks that they don't particularly like to do," Ollwyn said.

This is particularly the case for children living with ADHD as their brain is lacking in dopamine and screen use gives them multiple tiny hits of the chemical. 

"A child with ADHD doesn't mean that they can't give attention and focus to anything, but they can give focus and attention to things that they're really interested in, and they can get very invested in those," Ollwyn added.

Essentially, the use of phones or tablets can "completely suck them into the screen" because it is giving them that "dopamine hit very quickly." 

When asked whether screen use can cause ADHD or if children are born with it, Ollwyn described it as similar to cancer cells in that we all have them but they may not ever be activated. 

Everyone has a genetic predisposition to developing ADHD but it's about whether or not the environment around us allows those genes to remain dormant. 

"There is no doubt the research is now showing that there is a link, first of all, in the age that children are given screens and the amount of screen time that they're given," Ollwyn said.

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She added that while in such a developmental stage, the brain has to be getting what it needs in order to properly develop. 

Children's brains need movement and social connection, both of which screen time takes away from them.

Although they may feel they are socially connecting, Ollwyn highlights that it is in person connections that are needed. 

"None of this is parent shaming or accusing at all, but it's educational," she said. 

Ollywn adds that parents should be putting their screens away while around their children because if they don't, children will see that behaviour and feel it is normal for them too. 

She says we need to go back to basics and get children outside and playing, regardless of the weather and if they want to. 

"What we need to survive throughout life is resilience, and the only way that you build resilience is through real world experiences that are age appropriate," she said. 

"The more a child is on a screen, the less beneficial it is for their their brain," Ollwyn concluded.