SCREEN TIME AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS IN KIDS: A VICIOUS CIRCLE?
- Liviu Poenaru
- Aug 23
- 2 min read
Aug. 23, 2025
Spending too much time on screens may cause emotional and behavioral problems in children—and those problems can lead to even more screen use, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Conducted by an international team of researchers, the study systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed 117 studies, encompassing data from over 292,000 children worldwide. The findings were published in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
“Children are spending more and more time on screens, for everything from entertainment to homework to messaging friends,” said Michael Noetel, PhD, an associate professor in the School of Psychology at Queensland University and one of the authors of the study. “We found that increased screen time can lead to emotional and behavioral problems, and kids with those problems often turn to screens to cope.”
Noetel and his colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to better understand the relationship between screen time and socioemotional problems, like aggression, anxiety, or low self-confidence. They included any study with participants under 10 years of age that measured screen use and socioemotional problems, where children were followed up for at least six months. Screen-based activities included social media, video games, TV watching and online homework.
Most of the studies were conducted in the United States (41 studies), followed by Canada (13), Australia (11), and Germany and the Netherlands (7 each).
The study revealed that the more children engaged with electronic screens, the more likely they were to develop socioemotional problems. This included both internalizing problems, such as anxiety and depression, and externalizing problems, such as aggression and hyperactivity. Conversely, children experiencing socioemotional problems were found to be more likely to turn to screens as a coping mechanism.
READ MORE
Comments