ReviewFrontiers in psychology2026
Passive and active screen time relate differently to attention in preschool children.
Review in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Short-form video usage and cognitive function among rural older adults in northern China: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Birth Order and Screen Time as Predictors of Emotion Comprehension Development in 5- to 7-Year-Old Boys and Girls.Psychology in Russia : state of the art · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The widespread integration of screen technology into daily life has increased screen exposure among preschool children aged three to five. However, the differential associations of passive and active screen time with attention in this age group remain underexplored. The distinction between passive and active screen time refers to the degree of interaction between the user and the screen content. This review synthesizes and compares findings on passive and active screen time to clarify whether they relate to attention in distinct ways. A targeted literature search yielded 13 relevant publications, comprising 10 empirical studies and three reviews. Findings point toward a negative association between passive screen time and attention. Conversely, active screen time correlates with improved bottom-up and orienting attention but weaker executive and top-down attention. Screen content may mediate these associations. Educational, interactive content may support attention, whereas evidence is mixed about whether fast-paced, passive content impairs it. Our results emphasize the need to distinguish both the type and content of screen time in evaluating associations with preschoolers' attention. We discuss methodological inconsistencies, outline theoretical and practical implications, and call for further research on emerging screen formats relevant to preschoolers.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.