ArticleBMC psychology2023
Media screen time use and mental health in school aged children during the pandemic.
Article in BMC psychology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effects of Family-Based Programs on Preschool Children's Screen Time: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A qualitative study examining household context and parental perspectives on preschoolers' digital media use guidelines.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Screen time and cardiorespiratory fitness in school-aged children: a sex-specific association independent of physical activity-evidence from Croatia.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Recreational screen time and mental health among Canadian children and youth.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2025Article
- From stress to screen: family factors on the path to problematic media use in children aged 4-11.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Association of children's electronic media use with physical activity, cognitive function, and stress.Preventive medicine · 2025Observational
- Association between problematic TikTok use and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.AIMS public health · 2025Review
- Association between screen time, homework and reading duration, sleep duration, social jetlag and mental health among Chinese children and adolescents.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Exploring Screen Time and Its Effects on Children's Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study.Cureus · 2024Article
- Daily Screen Time Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021-December 2023.NCHS data brief · 2024Article
- School-aged children's movement behaviours and subjective health complaints in Japan: a cross-sectional study during COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures and after school reopenings.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Association between excessive screen time and falls, with additional risk from insufficient sleep duration in children and adolescents, a large cross-sectional study in China.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Computer vision syndrome among students during remote learning periods: harnessing digital solutions for clear vision.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChildren's screen time activity has increased significantly during the pandemic. Extended school closures and heightened parent stress are associated with children's behavioural difficulties and time spent watching screens. The primary aim of this study was to determine which school and household factors were associated with challenging behaviours in Canadian schoolchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsThis longitudinal survey study examined the association amongst screen time, internalizing and externalizing behaviours in school-aged children at two time points over the 2020-2021 academic school year. Parents completed survey measures on their parental involvement, stress levels, and their child's screen time use as well as their emotional and behavioural difficulties.
resultsChildren's average daily screen time was 4.40 h (SE = 18.45) at baseline and 3.89 h (SE = 16.70) at 1-year follow up, with no significant change across the school year (p = .316). Increased screen time use was associated with a greater incidence of internalizing behaviours in children (p = .03). Children who spent more time on screens and who were in households with parents reporting higher stress levels had increased internalizing behaviours (p < .001). No association between screen time use and externalizing behaviours was evident; however, parent stress was positively associated with children's externalizing behaviours (p < .001).
conclusionsChildren's screen time use has remained high during the pandemic and is associated with anxious and depressive symptoms. Children who spent more time on screens and who were in households with parents reporting higher stress levels had increased internalizing behaviours. Parent stress was positively associated with children's externalizing behaviours. Targeted family intervention plans focused on reducing parent stress and screen time use may aid in improving children's mental health during the ongoing pandemic.
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Registered trials
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.