'Poor performance possibly linked to screen time'

PRIMARY school children who spend a lot of time on screens perform worse in reading and maths tests, a new study suggests.

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Academics called for more to be done to reduce screen time among children to boost their academic performance.

More than 5,000 Canadian children took part in the study.

This included 3,300 children aged nine, who would be in Year 4 at school in Britain, and 2,000 children age 12 - who would traditionally be in their first year in secondary school in Britain.

Researchers, led by experts from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, gathered information on screen time, TV and digital media and video game use through questionnaires sent to parents.