Blue Light Exposure From Phones, TVs, Gadgets Could Lead to Early Puberty, Rat Study Reveals

In a study among male rats, blue light exposure from tablets, smartphones, and the like was seen to be linked to early puberty.

Blue Light Exposure and Early Puberty

This new study is the first to examine the link between early puberty and blue light exposure among male rats. It also offers insight regarding how environmental factors, including screen time, could affect testicular tissue and early puberty. This could eventually help with the devising of prevention strategies that could work for children.

The research was conducted by specialists from Gazi University and the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital in Turkey. The researchers looked into 18 male rats that were 21 days old. The rats were divided into groups of six and were exposed to different cycles of light, namely, a normal cycle as well as six hours of 12 hours of blue light exposure.

The authors discovered that the first puberty signs took place much earlier among the male rats that received blue light exposure. On top of this, the longer the blue light exposure, the earlier the onset of puberty. The rats also demonstrated testicular tissue damage and sperm development suppression.

These findings align with an earlier study from the same group that revealed that female rats exposed to blue light also experienced an earlier puberty onset. Hence, the findings could shed light on how blue light exposure could affect male and female rat puberty.

However, Dr. Aylin Kılınç Uğurlu, the study's lead researcher from the Hospital, stresses that the study was conducted among rats and that the findings should not directly be translated to human applications. Nevertheless, the study serves as an experimental ground for looking further into how increasing screen time leads to certain health consequences.

Moving forward, the scientists will focus on looking into blue light exposure impacts prior to puberty among adult rats.

The study could ultimately help with devising preventive strategies and help with the current discourse regarding how modern lifestyle impacts health and psychological development in the long-term.

Early Puberty

For the past years, there have been studies that have shown that there have been increases in the onset of early puberty among boys and girls. This was especially seen during the coronavirus pandemic.

Early puberty, or precocious puberty, takes place when the bodies of children become more adult-like too soon. While puberty is a normal occurrence, early puberty happens too soon.

As part of puberty, the bones and muscles quickly grow. The shape and size of the body may also change. The body also becomes capable of having children of its own.

For most children, there is no obvious cause for early puberty. In some cases, it may be due to genetics, brain problems, or thyroid issues.

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