Excessive screen time may be taking more from children than their attention.
For the first time, researchers in Turkey have shown that blue light exposure can speed up the onset of puberty in male rats, demonstrating a potential link between smart device screens and early childhood development.
A joint team from Gazi University and Bilkent City Hospital in Ankara presented their work at the 61st Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting in The Hague, as well as published recently in Frontiers in Endocrinology.
The new findings follow their previous study on blue light exposure in female rats, where early puberty was also observed.
“For the first time, we found a direct relationship between blue light exposure and early puberty in male rats,” said lead researcher Dr. Aylin Kılınç Uğurlu, of Bikent City Hospital. “Our findings align with our previous work on female rats, which also showed similar effects, thereby providing a more comprehensive view of how blue light may influence puberty both male and female rats.”
nypost.com/2023/09/25/blue-light-from-phones-tablets-may-induce-early-puberty-study/