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For instance, a recent longitudinal study of 11,000 British children found that those who watched TV for 3 hours or more a day at age 5 had a small increase in behavioural problems two years later compared with those who watched for under an hour. But they found no effects at all for those who played computer games.

Passively watching TV is not the same as learning to read on a touchscreen, which is not the same as killing monsters on a console

First of all, lumping all screens into one category is not helpful. "Screen time is a really enticing measure because it's simple – it's usually described as the number of hours a day using screen-based technology. But it's completely meaningless,"

"The best research suggests that the content children view is the best predictor of cognitive effects,"

But they found no effects at all for those who played computer games.

"Children will learn from what they watch, whether that means learning letters and numbers, slapstick humour or aggressive behaviour,

The study found that all the children enjoy reading more when they look at stories using books and a touchscreen compared to just books.

children who watch age-appropriate, educational TV programmes often do better on tests of school readiness.

rise in BMI

hard to tease apart whether screen time actually causes the effects or whether they are linked in some other way

"It is impossible to determine with certainty that TV is causing obesity, and it is likely that other factors are involved in the complex problem of childhood obesity,

Her own studies have shown that children who struggle to learn using books often made more progress with iPads.

research in schools also found that iPads made children more cooperative and helped quieter kids to speak up

children receive immediate feedback

But they found no effects at all for those who played computer games

What is becoming clear is that it's not the technologies themselves we should be worried out but how they are used and how people interact with them

A lot of it is common sense. Don't unthinkingly hand over your device. There are educational apps whose benefits are backed up by research, says Flewitt.

Five hours sitting in front of the TV is not the same as 5 hours of some TV, a couple of hours playing on Dance Dance Revolution or some other kind of active game, followed by a Skype session with a grandparent.