Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40890658›Full record

ArticleBMC pediatrics2025

The effects of tv/video viewing hours on later ADHD symptoms: a counterfactual analysis in longitudinal population-representative data.

Aja Murray, Hannah Casey, Helen Wright, Xinxin Zhu, Yi Yang, Xuefei Li, Zhuoni Xiao, Josiah King, Kasia Kostyrka-Allchorne, Edmund Sonuga-Barke

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Aja MurrayDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK. aja.murray@ed.ac.uk.
Hannah CaseyDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK.
Helen WrightDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK.
Xinxin ZhuDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK.
Yi YangDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK.
Xuefei LiDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK.
Zhuoni XiaoDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Josiah KingDepartment of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK.
Kasia Kostyrka-AllchorneDepartment of Psychology, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Edmund Sonuga-BarkeDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

Funding

MRF_ MRF-001-0014-RG-MURR-C0932Wellcome Trust 226685
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIt has been proposed that early-life screen use can impact the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Some studies have supported a weak association between higher levels of screen time and ADHD symptoms; however, this association is vulnerable to confounding and a causal explanation remains controversial.

methodsTo help address confounding in this association, we conducted inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analyses in a large UK-representative longitudinal sample to examine the impact of TV/video viewing at age 3 on ADHD symptoms at age 5.

resultsAdjusting for confounding, we found that both no TV/video viewing and viewing more than 3 h of TV/video compared to between 1 and 3 h were associated with increased ADHD symptoms. However, the effect of no TV/video viewing was mirrored in a negative outcome control analysis, suggesting potential residual confounding.

conclusionsResults are consistent with claims that high levels of TV/video viewing in preschool years may impact the development of ADHD symptoms. Trial-based research which examines the impact of reducing high levels of TV/video viewing in this age group would be merited to further illuminate this association and assess whether it is likely to reflect a causal effect. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityScreen TimeTelevisionChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleUnited KingdomAttention deficit hyperactivity disorderScreen timeTV/video viewing

Identifiers

PMID40890658
PMCPMC12400586

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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.