Screen use linked to poorer school and mental health outcomes in 2.8 million children

A global review spanning 64 countries finds heavier screen exposure is associated with weaker academic performance, poorer language development and emotional difficulties, but says it cannot show that screens are the cause.

A major global review has found that children who spend more time on screens tend to have worse outcomes in school and in some areas of mental health, adding to a long-running debate over how digital media affects development. The analysis, published in JAMA Pediatrics and covering data from more than 2.8 million children in 64 countries, suggests that the impact of heavy screen exposure may be as large as, or larger than, some long-established influences such as family wealth, parenting behaviour and premature birth.

The researchers, led by academics at the University of Calgary, said higher screen use was linked with weaker overall academic performance and poorer language development. They also reported associations with emotional difficulties, peer problems, internalising behaviour such as anxiety and depression symptoms, and externalising behaviour, including aggression and symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The review drew on previous large-scale studies in an umbrella analysis, which means it pulled together findings from earlier reviews rather than tracking children directly over time.

The study also suggested that screen exposure may be a factor that parents and carers can change. However, the authors were careful not to claim that screens are the sole or even main cause of children’s difficulties. Tatiana Íñiguez Berrozpe, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Zaragoza, said the findings showed an association, but a modest one, and said they did not support the idea that screens are the main driver of teenage emotional distress. Esther van Sluijs, a professor of behavioural epidemiology at Loughborough University, said the review was strong but could not separate out the effects of different kinds of screen use because there was not enough evidence.

That limitation matters because not all screen time is the same. The review covered everything from television to smartphones, and from scrolling social media to gaming and video calls. While the authors said the overall pattern pointed to less favourable outcomes across several areas of child development, they also noted that evidence was thin for some specific school subjects, including maths, reading and science. In other words, the study strengthens concerns about heavy screen use, but it does not settle every question about which activities matter most, how much use is too much or whether screen time is the cause of the problems it is associated with.