Both kids and adults are spending more and more time using screens for everything from work and school to socializing and having fun. But spending too much time using screens can have harmful consequences for your health, your emotions, and brain development in children.

Here's what you need to know about how much screen time is healthy and when you need to set limits.

For older kids and adults, it's hard to put an exact number on how much screen time is too much. However, research shows that there are many ways excessive screen time can damage your physical and mental health.

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Putting on the TV or playing a YouTube video may calm your child in the moment, but too much screen time can lead to behavioral issues over time. "Excessive TV viewing is associated with delays in cognition, language, and social-emotional development," Mattke says.

The type of media a child sees can also have an effect on their behavior, as children can imitate actions they see on TV as early as 6 months old. "There are strong associations between violent media content and child aggressive behavior," Mattke says.

Most of the time when you are looking at a screen, you are sitting or lying down. This means that as you spend more time on screens, you also spend more time being sedentary, which can increase your risk of obesity, along with chronic issues like heart disease.

Adults who spend more time on screens are also at greater risk for obesity. A very large 2003 study that followed middle-aged women over six years found that for every two hours spent watching TV each day, women were 23% more likely to become obese.

"There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that media use negatively affects sleep for both children and adults," Mattke says. This is partly because electronic devices emit a type of blue light that can lower your levels of melatonin, a hormone that regulates when you sleep and wake up.

Experts recommend that you stop using screens ideally two hours, or at the least 30 minutes before you go to sleep.

A very large 2010 study found that teens who spent more time using screens were more likely to report having headaches and backaches than less frequent screen users.

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How much screen time is too much? Follow these guidelines for your child to avoid harmful health effects - Business Insider India