Dr Sanaa al-Harahsheh, research manager at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), Qatar Foundation’s (QF) global healthcare initiative, examines through her work how digital life affects the mental health of children and families.Her message to parents is simple: prevention is far better than cure. Problematic digital use can develop gradually, so families should start with healthy boundaries early. “Start with prevention, because the cost will be a lot later,” she says, pointing to psychological and social costs, as well as something families cannot recover – time lost together.Her concern is not only what children see online, but what slowly changes at home. She describes the risk as hidden and unnoticed, and it often starts at the dinner table. Parents call children down for a meal, only for them to stay in their rooms or reply by message from elsewhere in the same house. “It has affected the daily interaction between the family and the relationship,” she says.Emotions run high too. Children whose devices are taken away “get angry, they get stressed out,” she says. Games add pressure of their own – with teammates abroad, some children wake at midnight to play for fear of missing out or being excluded from their gaming group. “You don’t know who is playing with your children,” she explains.“This also raises cybersecurity concerns. Children may communicate with people they have never met offline, making conversations about privacy, suspicious messages, and inappropriate contact essential.”For some, screens become an escape. A child struggling in class, or in conflict with parents or siblings, may play to feel better. “It’s to escape the situation they’re in,” she explains. “But at the end, it’s not a solution. It’s temporary.”A research paper co-authored by Dr al-Harahsheh, published in Scientific Reports in 2024, surveyed 331 students in Qatar’s schools and found that problematic internet use and spending more time online for entertainment were associated with greater physical and mental fatigue, while time spent online for schoolwork was not.What children do online, and why they do it, therefore matters – it’s not simply about the amount of screen time. Nearly a third of participants in Dr al-Harahsheh’s study showed signs of problematic internet use, with coping with stress or escaping problems among the commonly reported features.Digital use can also become concerning when it displaces face-to-face interaction. It is “very serious,” she says, because real interaction happens face to face, not behind a screen. Some children come to prefer their online circle to talking with parents, cousins or relatives. Years of reduced human contact may show up later as loneliness, anxiety and low mood, a risk she sees stretching across the decades ahead.None of this, she emphasises, means technology is the enemy. “This does not mean that technology itself is harmful. It can support education, communication, creativity and social connection. The goal is a healthy relationship with it.”Boundaries work best when children understand them, says Dr al-Harahsheh. She encourages parents to talk with their children about why limits exist, how they benefit them, and to follow them too. “If I don’t control myself with the device, how will my kids take it?” she asks.“Children learn from what adults do, not only what they say. Families can protect personal information, use privacy settings and teach children to recognise scams and unwanted contact. Monitoring tools can help, but should not replace communication and trust.”Telling children to put the screen down is not enough; they need something to move on to. “Parents should offer real alternatives and take part themselves, from a walk or sport to bowling or a camping trip. Take the child out, spend time as a family and ensure everyone is present both physically and mentally,” she says. Time together supports children’s social, emotional and behavioural development, as well as family relationships.She explains that responsibility is shared: parents shape habits through communication and role modelling; schools can strengthen digital literacy and online safety; and technology providers and policymakers can help create healthier digital environments.
