A global study has suggested that high screen time in children is linked to poorer outcomes, with effects potentially as significant as parental behaviour and premature birth. Researchers analysed data from over 2.8 million children across 64 countries, concluding that elevated screen exposure could impact areas such as academic achievement and emotional problems.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that longer durations of digital and social media use were associated with less favourable outcomes across multiple domains of children's developmental health. This included lower overall grades at school and poorer language development.
Regarding mental health, higher screen use was linked to emotional and peer problems, as well as internalising behaviours like depression and anxiety symptoms, and externalising behaviours such as aggression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms.
Academics involved in the umbrella review, which summarised findings from previous large reviews, noted that these effects are similar in magnitude to or larger than those reported for other established predictors of children's outcomes, including socioeconomic status.