A study conducted on mice in The Hague, Netherlands, found that blue light from cell phones and tablets may speed up male puberty. This study at the 61st Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands, examines how environmental influences like screen time affect early puberty and testicular development. These findings could lead to child health prevention.
Genetics, brain injuries or tumours, thyroid, adrenal, or sex gland abnormalities, or no known cause can induce early puberty in children. Early puberty in girls and boys has increased, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic. The increased use of blue light-emitting devices is under review, although its effects on youngsters are unclear.
Turkish researchers from Ankara Bilkent City Hospital and Gazi University put 18 male 21-day-old rats into three groups for the study. These groups received a conventional light cycle, six hours of blue light, or 12 hours of blue light. Male rats exposed to blue light showed early puberty. These rats had reduced sperm development and damaged testicular tissue, and their exposure duration coincided with puberty onset.
Ankara Bilkent City Hospital main researcher Dr. Aylin Kilinc Ugurlu said, “For the first time, we found a direct relationship between blue light exposure and early puberty in male rats.” This work expands on prior research on female rats that found comparable results, revealing how blue light may affect puberty in both genders.
The findings show that blue light exposure may cause early puberty, but additional research is needed to confirm this. Ugurlu said, “This is a rat study, so I cannot apply the results to humans. However, we provide an experimental foundation to study the health effects of modern society’s rising screen time.”
The next step will examine how blue light affects adult rats before puberty. This ongoing study seeks to illuminate the health risks of excessive screen time in our digital age.
Conclusion:-
A study at the 61st Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands, found that blue light from cell phones and tablets may accelerate male puberty. The research, conducted by Turkish researchers from Ankara Bilkent City Hospital and Gazi University, found that male rats exposed to blue light showed early puberty, reduced sperm development, and damaged testicular tissue. The study, which expands on previous research on female rats, reveals how blue light may affect puberty in both genders. However, the findings are experimental and cannot be applied to humans. The next step will be to examine how blue light affects adult rats before puberty, providing an experimental foundation for studying the health risks of excessive screen time in our digital age.
