*Health experts, in a recent study, found that the more time kids and teens spent on phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and television sets for fun, the more likely they were to show early signs linked to future heart and metabolic problems

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

Child Online Protection (COP) again, is taking the centre stage of public discourse in the global digital ecosystem, as health researchers recently linked excessive recreational screen time in youths to 鈥渋ncreased cardiometabolic risks鈥�, including high Blood Pressure (BP) and insulin resistance.

绿帽献妻 reports Child Online Protection is an initiative which the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) established November 2008, to promote online safety of children around the world.

The ITU, in 2009, released the first set of COP guidelines for domestication, and implementation by economies around the globe.

A new Danish research finding has associated 鈥渆xtra device hours鈥� with early heart-health markers in kids and teens.

More recreational screen time in children and teens, in the research was tied to higher cardiometabolic risk 鈥� think higher Blood Pressure, less-favourable cholesterol, and insulin resistance respectively.

The health researchers said the connection was stronger among youth who got less sleep 鈥� suggesting that screen use might affect heart health in part by stealing sleep.

They also found that each extra hour of screen time per day was not dramatic on its own, but when you add multiple hours, it adds up to a measurable shift in risk.

In a world where kids and teens, as youngsters, are increasingly spending hours on phones, tablets, gaming consoles and TVs, it鈥檚 worth asking: what all that screen time 鈥� especially the unstructured, recreational kind 鈥� might be doing to their bodies?

Now, a new study from Denmark, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association showed that more screen time among younger people might be tied to signs of elevated risk for heart and metabolic trouble later in life.

Though the research findings did not prove cause and effect, yet they shed a light on how modern screen habits could relate to the groundwork for future heart health in youngsters.

David Horner, M.D., PhD., one of the researchers, said in a statement: 鈥淟imiting discretionary screen time in childhood and adolescence may protect long-term heart and metabolic health.

鈥淥ur study provides evidence that this connection starts early and highlights the importance of having balanced daily routines.鈥�

In regard to how the researchers conducted the study, the team said they analysed data from over 1,000 participants drawn from two long-running Danish cohort studies, known as COPSAC 鈥� Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood.

The first group was around age 10 (from a 2010 birth-cohort) and the second about age 18 (from a 2000 birth-cohort).

Screen time was self- or parent-reported, covering hours spent watching TV/movies, gaming, or using phones, tablets, or computers for leisure.

In order to assess risk, the team created a composite cardiometabolic score, based on waist circumference, systolic Blood Pressure, 鈥済ood鈥� HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose 鈥� each standardised for age and sex.

The experts further examined sleep duration (using data from sensors worn for 14 days), timing of sleep, and used advanced metabolomics to detect a possible biological 鈥渇ingerprint鈥� of screen time.

Highlighting the research findings, the study found a clear pattern: the more time kids and teens spent on screens for fun, the more likely they were to show early signs linked to future heart and metabolic problems.

For both age groups 鈥� 10-year-olds and 18-year-olds 鈥� extra daily screen time was connected with things like: Higher Blood Pressure; less-healthy cholesterol levels; more insulin resistance, which can be an early sign of issues with blood sugar; and a bigger waist measurement, which can be one marker of health risk

None of these changes were huge on their own, but they added up, according to experts.

For example, every extra hour a day of recreational screen time was tied to a small but noticeable shift toward higher overall health risk. In teens, that shift was a little stronger than in younger kids.

The researchers also discovered that sleep played a big role. Kids and teens who slept less 鈥� or went to bed later 鈥� had an even stronger link between screen time and these health markers.

In younger kids, a portion of the screen-time effect could be explained by the fact that screens were cutting into their sleep.

Finally, among the 18-year-olds, more screen time was also tied to a higher predicted risk of developing heart disease later in life.

Again, it wasn鈥檛 dramatic, but it was enough for researchers to pay attention.

Nigeria and implementation of Child Online Protection guidelines

As the International Telecommunication Union released the first set of Child Online Protection guidelines 2009, the COVID-19 pandemic also increased the number of children online due to remote schooling.

The development led to the release of the revised ITU guidelines on COP July 2020.

Subsequently, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) held a virtual hangout with children in order to adopt the revised and localised guidelines for Nigerian children.

The NCC-localised versions of the COP guidelines are: Online With AGENT COP; Online Safety Activity Book – Work with Agent COP; Online Safety Activity Book – Teacher’s Guide; and What You Need To Know About Cyberbullying.

Taking the consumer education and sensitization further, the country鈥檚 telecoms sector regulatory Commission also translated the localised version into Pidgin (Pi)鈥� Yoruba (Wa), Hausa (Zo), Igbo (Bia), known as the PiWaZoBia collection.

The translated versions were also made available for downloads as Online with Agent COP, Combined (PiWaZoBia), Pidgin (Pi), Yoruba (Wa), Hausa (Zo), Igbo (Bia), Online Safety Activity Book, Work with Agent COP Combined (PiWaZoBia), Pidgin (Pi), Yoruba (Wa), Hausa (Zo) and Igbo (Bia).

The Commission chaired the Committee setup by then Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, to develop the draft National Child Online Protection Policy and Strategy (NCOPPS).

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) co-chaired the Committee, and it had members across key stakeholders as identified by the Ministry.

These included the Federal Ministry of Justice (FMoJ), Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (FMoW), Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), and Network Against Scam and Cybercrime.

The Nigerian Government鈥檚 Committee had the mandate to build on existing initiatives on Child Online Protection, provide a coherent strategy to meet global best practices, and further develop the existing child protection ecosystem in the country.

As a member of the ICANN Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), the Commission further adopted and localised the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL) International Edition of the 鈥楥OVID-19 Online Safety Advice for Parents and Careers released 2020 to develop its own document entitled: 鈥淜eeping Children Safe Online – Advice for Parents and Caregivers鈥�.

What this means for parents/guardians

If you are parenting, guardian, or working with young people, the message is not 鈥渂an screens forever.鈥�

Rather, health experts said their findings indicated a timely reminder that heavy recreational screen use might subtly shift the balance of heart-and-metabolic health risk 鈥� especially when paired with less sleep.

According to them, simple, practical steps, such as encouraging earlier bedtimes, limiting usage in the hour before bed, and introducing non-screen leisure or movement might help.

Because this was an observational study (not a randomised trial), it does not prove screen time causes these changes 鈥� but it does justify conversations about screen habits and sleep as part of healthy routines.

Even if each extra hour only nudges risk a little, multiple hours add up.

Limiting discretionary screen time and protecting sleep could be one of several small moves that support longer-term heart health in younger generations, the study noted.

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