Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey of a population-based sample (by design analogy)
OpenAlex W2896921383 · doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003
What was done
Researchers analyzed data from a 2016 US national random sample of 40,337 children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 years. The study evaluated associations between total daily screen time (including cell phones, computers, electronic devices, games, and TV) and measures of psychological well-being, mental health diagnoses, and treatment.
What was found
Screen use exceeding 1 h/day was associated with lower psychological well-being, including less curiosity, lower self-control, more distractibility, difficulty making friends, less emotional stability, being harder to care for, and inability to finish tasks. Non-users and low users (1 h/day) generally did not differ. Among 14- to 17-year-olds, high users (7+ h/day vs. 1 h/day) had higher risks of ever being diagnosed with depression (RR 2.39, 95% CI 1.54, 3.70), ever diagnosed with anxiety (RR 2.26, 95% CI 1.59, 3.22), treated by a mental health professional (RR 2.22, 95% CI 1.62, 3.03), or taking psychiatric medication in the past 12 months (RR 2.99, 95% CI 1.94, 4.62). Moderate use (4 h/day) was also associated with lower well-being. Associations were larger among adolescents than younger children.
Why it matters
This large population-based study provides detailed correlational evidence linking high screen use to lower well-being and clinical mental health diagnoses in youth, informing screen time guideline debates.
Limits
The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or determine if screen time leads to poorer well-being or if distressed youth spend more time on screens. Measures relied on survey responses rather than objective usage tracking or direct clinical assessments.
Cited by
- supports Adolescents spend an average of 5 hours per day on social media and 8 to 10 hours per day on digital devices excluding schoolwork.