ArticleEClinicalMedicine2022
Changes and correlates of screen time in adults and children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 116 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
116 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Interventions to Reduce Screen Time in Preschool-Aged Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- Problematic internet use and borderline personality features: A systematic review informed by the alternative model of personality disorders.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2026Pooled it
- Association Between Exposure to Smartphones and Tablets and Motor Development in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review.Child: care, health and development · 2025Pooled it
- The effect of digital devices screen use on intraocular pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2025Pooled it
- The relationship between trait mindfulness and problematic usage of the internet, screen time, and nomophobia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2025Pooled it
- Changes in Sleep Duration and Sleep Timing in the General Population from before to during the First COVID-19 Lockdown: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Pooled it
- Exploring the perception of parents on children's screentime: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.Pediatric research · 2023Pooled it
- The prevalence of sensory changes in post-COVID syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- StandUPTV: a full-factorial optimization trial to reduce sedentary screen time among adults.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Trial
- White matter integrity buffers the impact of screen time on inhibitory control in youth.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2026Article
- Trends and Behavioral Correlates of Excessive Screen Time Among Swedish Adolescents: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study (2017-2023).Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Article
- Digital Exposure and Skin Health in Children and Adolescents: A State-of-the-Art Review.Cureus · 2026Review
- High Screen Exposure and Its Association With Physical and Mental Well-Being Among School-Going Children and Adolescents in Bangladesh: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Association between Internet addiction and mental health problems among Chinese adolescents in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era: a propensity score matching study.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Ten years of screen time among medical students in Dresden, Germany: unveiling the trends.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Digital media use among school-aged dual language learners in Chinese American families: Links to socioecological factors and children's oral language proficiencies.Developmental psychology · 2026Article
- Digital device usage and its association with health among Mongolian adolescents.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- The COVID-19 impact on nocturia epidemiology: a national health survey analysis.Tropical medicine and health · 2026Article
- Disability Diagnoses Identified by the American Community Survey 6-Question Sequence.JAMA health forum · 2026Article
- Variables associated with unhealthy diet among Portuguese adults: a population-based logistic regression study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
56 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Screen time has increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and several correlates have been associated with these increases. These changes, however, have not been aggregated. It was the aim of this review to (a) aggregate changes in screen time in adults and children, and (b) report on variables in relation to screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A systematic review of major databases was undertaken for studies published from inception to 06/12/2021, using a pre-published protocol (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021261422). Studies reporting (a) screen time pre-versus-during the pandemic, (b) screen time percentage change, or (c) correlates of screen time during the pandemic were included. A random effects meta-analysis was undertaken with subgroup analysis by age group and type of screen time. Findings: After review, 89 studies ( Interpretation: Pooled evidence suggest that primary aged children reported the highest increase in both total and leisure screen time during COVID-19. It is recommended that screen time should be reduced in favour of non-sedentary activities. This study has the potential to inform public health policy and future guidance regarding screen time, and to inform future research in this area. Funding: No funding was received for this study.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.