Dhaka study links screen time

Dhaka, Bangladesh, 14 May 2026 — Researchers at icddr,b said children in Dhaka are spending nearly five hours a day on digital screens, and that heavier use was linked to shorter sleep, eye problems, headaches, higher body weight and mental-health concerns. The study covered 420 children aged 6 to 14 from six schools in the capital between 2022 and 2024, according to an icddr,b press release. The findings were recently published in *JMIR Human Factors*. The data add a Bangladesh-specific set of numbers to a debate that has often relied on broader global guidance rather than local evidence. ### How much screen time did the Dhaka children report? The study found that 83% of the children spent more than two hours a day on screens, exceeding the commonly cited recreational limit for that age group, icddr,b said. Average daily screen use was 4.6 hours across smartphones, televisions, tablets, computers and gaming devices. (icddrb.org) The research team said 350 of the 420 students fell into the high-exposure group, defined as more than two hours of daily digital-device use. Shahria Hafiz Kakon, an assistant scientist at icddr,b identified by *The Daily Star* as the study’s lead researcher, said some children were using screens for eight to 10 hours a day. ### Why does sleep keep showing up in the findings? (icddrb.org) Children who used screens for more than two hours a day slept an average of 7.3 hours a night, the icddr,b release said. That was below the recommended 8 to 10 hours for healthy growth and brain development in this age group, according to the release and *The Daily Star’s* reporting. (thedailystar.net) icddr,b researchers said late-night screen use can keep the brain overstimulated and interfere with natural sleep cycles. The release said sleep loss may affect memory, concentration, learning ability, emotional regulation, physical growth and overall mental well-being, citing health experts. (icddrb.org) ### What other health problems did the study tie to high screen use? More than one-third of the children reported eye problems, and 80% frequently had headaches, according to the icddr,b release. *The Daily Star* reported that 150 students had eye-related issues and that 144 of them were in the high-exposure group. (icddrb.org) About 14% of participants were overweight, obese or severely obese, with higher rates among children with heavier screen exposure, the researchers said. The study also found that around two out of five children had one or more mental-health-related problems, including anxiety, hyperactivity, behavioural difficulties and emotional distress, according to icddr,b. A separate *Daily Star* editorial cited the study as finding that about 31% of students reported at least one mental-health issue, underscoring that published and reported descriptions of the mental-health results have varied in wording. (icddrb.org) ### What did the researchers say is driving so much screen use? Kakon told *The Daily Star* that the pattern accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, when education, entertainment and socialising moved online. He said many children kept the habit after schools reopened and that parents and teachers largely failed to curb it. (icddrb.org) Parents’ own device use also appeared in the reporting. *The Daily Star* said parents in the study averaged 3.9 hours of screen time a day, and Kakon said that behavior was contributing to children’s rising use. ### What responses are being proposed in Dhaka? The Daily Star’s follow-up reporting and editorial pointed to more physical activity, less sedentary time and more child-friendly spaces as practical responses. (thedailystar.net) The editorial said Dhaka, a city of nearly 3.66 crore people, has fewer than 300 playgrounds, and argued that schools and city authorities should create more opportunities for supervised play and hands-on activity. (thedailystar.net) The study itself did not present a city policy plan in the press release, but it said researchers assessed sleep, body weight, behaviour and mental well-being with established tools including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Development and Well-Being Assessment. That gives parents, schools and health officials a published baseline as they consider changes to routines, device use and physical activity. (thedailystar.net) The next public reference point is the journal article in *JMIR Human Factors*, which icddr,b cited as the publication venue for the findings, and the institute’s own May 14, 2026 press release setting out the sample, measures and headline results. (icddrb.org)