Researchers are exploring the potential harm blue light emitted by electronic devices could inflict on children’s health, and whether exposing them to it might speed up their early onset of puberty.
Rats exposed to blue light experienced puberty earlier than those exposed to other colours, according to new research presented at the 60th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology meeting.
Blue light is a type of visible light that comes from the sun, says a pediatric hospitalist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, Dr. Rebecca Fisk.
“Most of the blue light we’re exposed to comes from electronic devices,” she explained.
Artificial sources of blue light include LEDs and fluorescent lights, as well as electronic devices like smartphones, televisions, e-readers, video game consoles, computers, and tablets.
18 rats were used in an animal study.
Researchers say they are investigating if there is a link between blue light exposure and lowered melatonin levels. They are looking for evidence to find if increased screen time for children might be involved.
According to the study authors, melatonin levels are higher during pre-puberty than in puberty. This may account for the delayed start of pubertization.
Researchers investigated the effects of blue light exposure on reproductive hormone levels and the time of puberty in female rats.
The animals were divided into three groups; one received a standard light cycle, while two received 6 or 12 hours of blue light each day.
In both blue-light-exposed groups, puberty occurred earlier than expected. The rats exposed to blue light longest experienced the greatest harm.
Rats with 12 hours of exposure to blue light also showed signs of cell damage and inflammation in their ovaries. Melatonin levels also decreased.
Rats exposed to blue light experienced earlier puberty, altered reproductive hormones and altered melatonin levels, according to researchers at Anadolu University in Turkey.
Melatonin is produced by the brain in response to darkness, explained Fisk.
She said the pineal gland is where most of the material is produced, and a small amount is created in the retina. It aids with the timing of one’s circadian rhythms, our 24-hour internal clock, and sleep.
She claimed that light at night can block melatonin production.
Light of any kind can inhibit sleepiness, according to Fisk.
Human studies are needed to see if these rat behaviors are relevant.
Disrupted sleep could impact child development.
Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a two-degree-qualifying psychiatrist and sleep specialist based in Menlo Park, California, says that disrupted melatonin, or possibly more generally, disrupted sleep and sleep stages from blue light, might have a detrimental effect on child development.
He said that in future research, it would be important to confirm the findings of this study and see how well they would generalize from rats to humans.
It is unknown whether melatonin is the same pathway as blue screens, but it is certainly clear that it hurts sleep in both quality and quantity.
There is no guarantee that these findings would be duplicated in children.
“In addition, this study involved a small sample of six rats per group,” he said. “In my opinion, a small sample size is insufficient to draw any conclusions.”
“In addition to being asked to extrapolate data in a small sample of rats to effects in human beings, especially children,” he said.
The study’s findings are inconclusive, so using blue light emitting devices before bedtime should be avoided in both pre-pubertal and pubescent children until further studies with larger samples can address these issues, Dimitriu said.
He said, “Determine if there is a causal relationship or if blue light exposure is a risk factor in pubertal onset occurring earlier.”
Health consequences of early puberty
According to Fisk, early puberty in girls leads to a higher risk for certain health problems including breast cancer, teenage pregnancy, HPV, heart disease, and diabetes, as well as other health problems.
She said that early puberty in both boys and girls has also been connected to higher risk mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, eating disorders, and conduct disorders.
Fisk said maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly can help to slow down the onset of puberty.
Screen time should be limited
According to Dimitriu, screen time, particularly before bed, is prudent advice for everyone regardless of whether it leads to early puberty.
Blocking blue light at the proper time can help you get a better night’s sleep, according to Long. Both adults and children will at least experience some degree of melatonin reduction and lightened quality of sleep after blue light exposure before bedtime, he said.
Dr. Dimitriu recommends that adults turn off technology at 10 pm to ensure good sleep.
“Kids would get a little screen-free time before bed, perhaps closer to 7,” he suggested.
The bottom line is that you should always make sure to keep your phone protected when using it, especially when you’re using it in hostile areas or places where you don’t know what’s going on. This will keep you a lot safer, and you’ll also have a lot more fun with your phone.
The new research used an animal model to find that blue light exposure may increase the risk of early onset puberty in children.
It is too early to tell whether these findings would apply to humans.
