Ok, now I’ve gotten your attention. Let me rephrase that. Excessive screen time for children puts them at risk for diabetes.

Now let’s keep something in mind – correlation doesn’t mean causation.

According to a study published in Archives of Diseases in Childhood on BMJ (previously known as British Medical Journal) there’s a “strong graded associations between screen time, adiposity and insulin resistance suggest that reducing screen time could facilitate early T2D [Type 2 Diabetes] prevention.” In layman’s term, the longer period of time a child spends in front of a screen, is associated with a likelihood that they will develop Type 2 Diabetes.

The research analysed blood samples from nearly 4500 UK children age between 9 – 10. Their results show that daily screen time of three or more hours is linked to several risk factors associated with the development of diabetes in children. These include adiposity, which describes total body fat, and, insulin resistance – both of which are markers for diabetes.

Previously, research has suggested that spending a lot of time glued to a screen is linked to an increased risk of weight gain and type 2 diabetes among adults. However, there were no known data conducted for risk in children. The researchers noted that technology is more pervasive and has contributed to an increase amount of time spent watching TV and using computers, games consoles, tablets and smartphones.

On top of analysing blood samples, the researchers also asked the children about their daily screen time to include TV, and use of computers and games consoles. Some 4% of the children said that screen time didn’t take up any of their day, while just over a third (37%) said they spent an hour or less on it.

Of the remainder, 28% said they clocked up 1-2 hours; 13% said their daily tally was 2-3 hours; and around one in five (18%) said they spent more than 3 hours on it every day.

Body fat levels were all higher in children reporting 3+ hours of daily screen time than in those who said they spent an hour or less on it. The study also shows that there was a strong trend between a daily quota of 3 or more hours of screen time and levels of leptin, the hormone that controls appetite; fasting glucose; and insulin resistance. The results were said to remain significant even taking into account other “potentially influential factors, such as household income, family background, puberty stage, and physical activity levels.”

The researchers emphasise that while their findings are “of considerable potential public health interest,” they are observational and so no definitive conclusions can be drawn about causality.

“Our findings suggest that reducing screen time may be beneficial in reducing type 2 diabetes risk factors, in both boys and girls and in different ethnic groups from an early age,” they write.

If you really want to read the full study and pick apart their methodology – go here.