In 2010, D.Q. Dunstan et al. of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute published a paper establishing a correlation between excessive television watching and premature death. The study followed the lifestyles of 8,800 Australians over 6 years. It showed that even one hour spent watching TV (on average per day) shortened life expectancy. The effect was much more drastic if a person watched TV for more than two or four hours a day.
In 2019, K. Ioannidis et al. at the NHS Foundation Trust published a meta-analysis of studies investigating the effects of Internet addiction on cognitive function. The article summed up the findings of 40 scientific studies based on observations of 2,922 participants in total. It revealed that excessive Internet use had at least five significant adverse effects on cognitive function, including decline in memory function and reduced ability to make decisions. Furthermore, these effects were shown to occur regardless of country or place of residence.
In 2019, M. Aghasi et al. at the Teheran Medical Institute published a paper analyzing nine studies investigating the correlation between Internet addiction and excess weight. The paper showed that a person spending 5 or more hours a day online had a 47% increased chance of being overweight as compared to people who spent less time on the Internet or didn’t use it at all. They also calculated that every additional hour of Internet time per day increased the chances of excess weight by 8%.
In 2018, the Japanese research team of M. Kitazawa et al. published a study based on interviews with 1,336 students. The study showed that, in addition to the aforementioned problems, Internet overuse was also correlated with increased anxiety, sleep deficiency and attention deficit disorders.