Studies Show Screen Use Is Causing Nearsightedness In Kids. Can Apple’s New Updates Help?

When it comes to phones and tablets, parents generally worry about screen time causing tantrums, overstimulation, or brain-rot of some yet-undiscovered type. What we don’t often consider is the link between screen time and children’s eyes — turns out, devices have been linked to a global rise in nearsightedness, a.k.a myopia. There are steps parents can take to ease the impact of screens on kids’ eyes, and tech companies like Apple are adding new features to make it easier too. In fact, if you’ve already downloaded the most recent software updates, you may have already noticed the notifications and wondered what they mean.

Can screen time damage children’s eyes?

Research says yes, specifically when it comes to their vision. Myopia, the condition in which objects close up look clear but those at a distance are blurry, generally develops between ages 5 and 15, and can be caused by a host of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, or a combination of both, experts say.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology says the number of people with nearsightedness has almost doubled since 1971. The International Myopia Institute seconds this, saying about 42% of the U.S. population is nearsighted. Studies have linked the rise of myopia with “near-work activities” — basically, any of our job or school tasks that require us to use items that we hold up close, including books and electronics — and an increase in time spent indoors.

When your grandmother warned you that if you made “that face” too long, it would stay that way, she might have been talking about the intense, up close gaze you employ when watching a phone, tablet, or laptop just inches from your face. “With screen distance, it’s all about focusing on an object that puts whatever you’re looking at in the right place on the back of your eye,” says Dr. Lauren Cheung, M.D., a senior manager on the clinical team at Apple. “To do that, your eyes have a complex focusing mechanism. When you’re looking at something too closely for too long, you can overuse the focusing mechanism and that constant visual stress can train the focusing mechanism towards nearsightedness.”

The number of people with nearsightedness has almost doubled since 1971.

The second factor is exposure to daylight: Studies have also shown that that spending time outdoors, particularly in early childhood, helps slow the progression of myopia. And no, a room with lots of natural light doesn’t count; neither does looking out a window. There’s something particular about the way the light enters your eye when you’re outside that is crucial to its development. Daylight exposure triggers the brain to release dopamine, which helps developing eyes grow into a healthy shape, says Cheung. Too little dopamine can lengthen them, she notes, which contributes to myopia. While some kids may just be predisposed to nearsightedness anyway, these two lifestyle factors can cause it to develop faster, and Cheung says the earlier myopia starts, the more severely it will impact your child’s vision as they age.

How can I prevent nearsightedness in my child?

These statistics are alarming, but the good news is that you can actually negate the affects of screen time on your kid’s eye development. First, help your kids get outside in daylight for at least 80 to 120 minutes each day, as recommended by the International Myopia Institute. Second, keep screens at the appropriate distances to prevent eye strain. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends kids keep mobile phones 12 inches from their eyes, laptops and desktops two feet away, and TVs roughly 10 feet away or more, depending on how large the screen is.

If you’re envisioning doing a lot of mental math (recess is 30 minutes, plus one hour at soccer practice, so we met our goal today) or whipping out a ruler to stick between your kid’s nose and their tablet, some companies have introduced designs that will help. Apple just launched two new features that are aimed at reducing the likelihood of myopia in children:

• Time in Daylight: With watchOS 10, your child’s Apple Watch can now measure time spent in daylight using its built-in ambient light sensor. Kids and parents can view their time logged outdoors to keep up with how much daylight they’re getting (and hey, outside time is healthy for more than just your eyes).
• Screen Distance: This feature will remind younger users to hold their device at an eye-healthy distance. The TrueDepth camera (the built-in mechanism that scans you for FaceID) will notify users to reposition their device farther away if they’ve been holding it closer than 12 inches for more than five minutes. The message covers the entire screen and disappears when the TrueDepth camera recognizes the user’s face and device are the recommended distance apart.

Even if you don’t use Apple products, paying attention to how much time your child spends outside, in natural light, every day, and showing them how to use devices at least a foot away from their face, can make a tremendous difference.

How to turn on Apple’s new vision health features

These new eye-focused features are available as of September 18, 2023, when Apple released their iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 software updates. Once you’ve downloaded the latest software to all your devices, here’s how to ensure these new tools are on:

• Time in Daylight is automatically measured by Apple Watch with watchOS 10, so users can view the data in the Health app in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. (If your kid doesn’t have their own iPhone, you can use Family Setup to pair their Apple Watch to your phone.)
• The Screen Distance feature is automatically turned on on any iPhone or iPad device signed in to an Apple ID whose user is 13 or younger. If your child is using a device that isn’t registered specificaly to them, you can turn it on manually (or off if you want to disable the feature) by opening Settings, selecting Screen Time, and tapping Screen Distance.

“We as parents are always looking to build healthy habits into our children at young ages, to set them up for life in a way that helps them in the future,” says Cheung. “With vision health, we know that actions that we take early in life can help prevent myopia. It’s so important to build those habits early on.”

Studies referenced:

Ku, P.-W., Steptoe, A., Lai, Y.-J., Hu, H.-Y., Chu, D., Yen, Y.-F., Liao, Y., & Chen, L.-J. (2019). The associations between near visual activity and incident myopia in children. Ophthalmology, 126(2), 214–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2018.05.010

Expert:

Dr. Lauren Cheung, M.D., senior manager on the clinical team at Apple