A neurologist took to X to highlight a study showing that kids need to engage in riskier forms of play to live happier, healthier lives.
Dr. Dominic Ng (@DrDominicNg), a neuroscientist studying at the University of Edinburgh, shared a screenshot of a 2023 study in The Lancet that showed preschool-aged children benefited immensely from "adventurous play."
Every additional hour a child spends in adventurous play is associated with lower anxiety and a better mood.
— Dr. Dominic Ng (@DrDominicNg) February 17, 2026
More screen time does the opposite.
Why? Adventurous play is free exposure therapy. Kids feel scared, then survive it. Over and over, they learn fear is manageable. pic.twitter.com/CQlK5lKOgP
Adventurous play is defined as forms of play that can lead to moments of fear or anxiety in children, and the study showed that every hour spent engaging in adventurous play helped lower their anxiety levels and put them in better moods. Meanwhile, every hour spent on a screen, even engaged in educational activities and learning, led to higher anxiety levels and worsened their mood.
The cause of this is likely that adventurous play allows kids to take risks in a safer setting, learn what is and isn't safe behavior, and feel more confident in new or potentially dangerous situations in the future. By experiencing that fear and anxiety in a play setting, they are learning to deal with and overcome it firsthand, whereas screen time doesn't offer the same opportunities for growth, experience, and direct learning.
"Adventurous play is free exposure therapy," Dr. Ng wrote in the post. "Kids feel scared, then survive it. Over and over, they learn fear is manageable."
The study also highlighted the dangers of relying on screens too much, especially for younger children. We've seen Gen Z start to move away from smartphones in an effort to reduce their reliance on them, and a 2025 study linked increased screen time to behavioral problems in children. While this is often attributed to recreational screen time, this study shows that educational screen time can also have deleterious effects on children's mental well-being, especially at younger ages.
Adults also experience negative effects from living in a technology-fraught world, such as higher levels of anxiety, burnout from constant connectivity, and struggles with work as technology disrupts tasks. Our reliance on technology has taken an environmental toll, producing massive amounts of electronic waste that can pollute the environment.
Ultimately, the study is another sign that it's important to engage in play with your children in a variety of ways to help them learn and feel better prepared for the challenges life will throw at them later.
Other X users found the study results interesting. One user wrote: "Risk is a biological necessity. We've traded scary playgrounds for safe screens, and the psychological cost is becoming pretty clear."
Another user joked, "I hope this works on adults too."
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