Concussion and Screen Time

There’s been a lot of debate in the medical community about concussion and screen time. The big question is whether or not people with concussions should be allowed screen time. Recent research took a closer look to determine when one can start using screens again after sustaining a concussion.

Research on Concussion and Screen Time

JAMA Pediatrics completed a randomized clinical trial in the pediatric and adult emergency departments of a tertiary medical center between June 2018 and February 2020. The 125 participants included 12-25 year olds who went to the emergency room within 24 hours of sustaining a concussion.

The patients were divided into two groups. One group was allowed to engage in screen time and the other groups was asked to abstain from screen time for 48 hours after injury.

To determine any changes, the patients completed the Post-Concussive Symptom Scale (PCSS) daily for ten days. The primary outcome was days to resolution of symptoms, defined as a total Post-Concussive Symptom Scale (PCSS) score of 3 points or lower.

Results of the Study

After the 48 hour post concussion phase and data analysis, the researchers concluded the following on concussion and screen time:

• the screen time group experienced a significantly longer time to recover, measured by a PCSS score of less than three.
• the screen time group, on average, this group experienced a median time of eight days until symptom resolution.
• the group that abstained from screen time experienced a median time of 3.5 days until symptom resolution.
• during this time, the screen time group logged a median of 630 minutes over the 48-hour period while the abstaining from screen time group logged a median of 130 minutes.

Conclusion

This study from the JAMA Pediatrics provides preliminary evidence supporting the clinical recommendations to limit screen time in the acute period (48 hours) after concussion.

Reference: Macnow, T., Curran, T., Tolliday, C., Martin, K., McCarthy, M., Ayturk, D., … & Mannix, R. (2021). Effect of screen time on recovery from concussion: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA pediatrics.