YouTube linked to kids' reduced self-control: study

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Do you find that kids today seem to lack patience and throw tantrums more often? A team of Korean psychiatrists point to YouTube as a potential culprit in their recently published study.

Professor Shin Yun-mi and researchers at Ajou University studied 195 children aged 5 to 8 for 3 years between 2018 and 2021, measuring their temperament, YouTube usage patterns, and emotional and behavioral problems.

Their findings suggest frequent YouTube use negatively impacts children’s temperament, affecting traits such as level of persistence and self-control.

The study, which was published in an online journal "BMC Public Health" on June 7, highlights YouTube's algorithm as a significant factor as it allows young users to "consume videos that pop up on the screen."

While violent and inappropriate visual content increases the risk of emotional and behavioral problems in the future, triggering feelings of anxiety and depression, YouTube's short video format contributes to enhancing "addictive behaviors" while impairing "self-regulation."

The findings also indicate that children's early exposure to YouTube correlates with longer durations spent on the video platform.

The study reveals that participants spend an average of 68.5 minutes per day watching YouTube, typically engaging with the platform about five days a week. While 21 percent of children began watching YouTube before age four, the most common age for a first YouTube experience was between 8 and 9 years old, accounting for 30.3 percent, followed by 6 and 7-year-olds at 25.6 percent.

Yet, the study also acknowledges a positive aspect of YouTube, suggesting its "positive roles beyond mere entertainment and social networking" provide new experiences and learning opportunities.

In South Korea, one of the most tech-savvy nations, 96.5 percent of fourth-grade elementary school students had smartphones in 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Among them, 16 percent were heavily reliant on smartphone and internet use.

By No Kyung-min(minmin@heraldcorp.com)