Screen time and exposure associated with its blue light have already been associated with numerous harmful effects on health, with a sedentary lifestyle and its metabolic problems, but also with sleep disorders and more broadly with the disruption of the biological clock. This time, it is the consequences on the growth and development of the Child that are highlighted: early puberty and an older bone age. This research raises important questions about the long-term effects of screens on children’s health.
On bone growth ; As children grow and develop, long bones such as the femur gradually lengthen at each end. These growing ends – areas of smooth, elastic cartilage called “growth plates” – eventually solidify, marking the cessation of growth in height. Girls usually stop growing and reach their maximum height between 14 and 16 years old, while boys finish growing between 16 and 18 years old.
In recent years, however, several studies have reported an increase in early pubertyin both girls and boys, with very rapid growth at first but stopping growth earlier than normal. This research suggests that excessive use of screens, and particularly their blue light, could be one of the factors in this early puberty.
The studycarried out on the “young” mouse – growth model – exposed these models to different light cycles then measured their size and that of their femurs. Experience reveals that:
- models exposed to blue light initially grow more rapidly, particularly in bones, and enter puberty earlier than those exposed to standard light;
- these mice exposed to blue light have a higher risk of precocious puberty;
- blue light exposure induces earlier structural changes in bone growth plates, suggesting an impact on long-term bone age;
- blue light influences physical growth and development.
These preclinical results encourage the conduct of longitudinal studies in children, which take into account screen time and follow the maturation of the growth plate and their development until the end of adolescence.
Finally, the authors note that this acceleration of bone growth is not beneficial: “The bones matured too early, which can potentially cause them to be smaller and less dense than average as adults. »
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