ReviewInternational journal of general medicine2026
The Association Between Daily Screen Time and Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Current Evidence and Potential Mechanisms.
Review in International journal of general medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
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
In recent decades, the widespread adoption of digital devices has led to a dramatic increase in screen time among children, raising significant public health concerns. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between daily screen exposure and the rising prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity. Childhood overweight and obesity are established risk factors for children's mental health problems in the short term and for the occurrence and development of various chronic diseases in adulthood. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for observational and intervention studies published in English between 2005 and 2026, using combinations of the terms "screen time", "television", "video games", "social media", "children", "adolescents", "overweight", and "obesity". Mounting evidence suggests that prolonged engagement with screens whether through television, smartphones, tablets, or computers is associated with to an elevated risk of weight-related health issues in children. However, the strength and consistency of this association vary across age groups, screen modalities, and study designs, with much of the evidence deriving from observational research that precludes definitive causal inference. Our review evaluates existing literature, encompassing recent empirical findings, theoretical perspectives, and proposed mechanistic pathways underlying this association. Key factors under examination include sedentary behavior displacing physical activity, exposure to unhealthy food marketing, disrupted sleep patterns, and the potential metabolic effects of prolonged screen use. Notably, these pathways are presented as proposed rather than definitively established mechanisms, given the predominance of cross-sectional and longitudinal observational data. Furthermore, this review explores evidence-based intervention strategies aimed at mitigating screen-related health risks, emphasizing the role of parental guidance, school-based policies, and public health initiatives in fostering healthier developmental trajectories for children. By integrating multidisciplinary insights, this review aims to inform future research directions and practical interventions to address this pressing global health challenge.
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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.