Smartphones could be affecting your teen's diet and weight: Study

A new study, presented at the virtual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, found that teens who spent more than 2 hours per day on their smartphones were more likely to eat processed foods and fewer fruits and vegetables.

During the study, researchers tracked the health of more than 53,000 South Korean adolescents, aged 12 to 18. The team found that those who spent more than two hours a day on their smartphone were much more likely to eat larger amounts of junk food, while consuming fewer fruits and vegetables, compared to those who spent less time on their phones. The findings also showed that teens who spent more than three hours a day on a smartphone were significantly more likely to be overweight or obese.

According to the research, the reasons teens used their phones appeared to matter, too. Those who did more information searches and retrieval on their phones had healthier eating behaviors versus those who used their phones more for chatting/messenger, gaming, video/music and social networking.

The study couldn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship. But as per researchers, less time spent on phones and more time being active could turn weight gain into healthy weight maintenance.

Also Read: 5 hurdles that may be limiting your weight loss journey