Screen Time and Mental Health In Children: The Facts

Screens are everywhere!

No matter what you do, you can’t avoid them. They’re in your pocket, in your living room, on the bus or airplane – even in your car.

Modern screen-bearing devices have made life significantly more convenient, but they’ve also been proven to have negative effects—not just on you, but on your kids.

Below, we’ll take a look at some of the latest research into screen time and its effects on your kids’ mental health.

By the time you reach the end of this post, you’ll have a greater understanding of the impact of screen time and on-screen content on children’s mental health. We’ll also include some simple tips and tricks to help you cut back on screen time in your kids’ lives.

Screen Time and Mental Health: How Screen Time Affects Kids

The negative psychological impacts associated with excessive screen time have been widely recognized for several years.

Researchers and scholars across the world acknowledge the link between excessive screen use and several types of mental health issues in children. They range from mood disorders like depression to anxiety to sleep issues and more.

Latest Research on Screen Time and Brain Development

Studies on intersections between mental illness and screen time in children are numerous. We’ll share some of the most recent below.

Internalizing Problems With Higher Amounts of Screen Time

In March 2023, a team of researchers from both the Yale Department of Psychiatry and the Columbia School of Nursing worked together to conduct an analysis of more than 5,100 young people (ages 9 and 10) [1].

This scientific evaluation was called the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, one of the most massive longitudinal studies analyzing child health and brain development in the country.

Through the research, it was discovered that kids who spent the greatest amount of time using screens (and digital technologies overall) had a higher likelihood of developing internalizing problems within two years of the study.

Children who spent more time on their screens had brain development patterns similar to adults who consume significant amounts of alcohol. While screen time didn’t contribute to higher rates of externalizing problems (defiance, relational aggression, physical and verbal aggression, etc.) common to alcohol-consuming adults, internalizing problems were very typical.

Internalizing problems include:

• Social anxiety;
• Anxiety;
• Depression;
• Somatic complaints;
• Obsession-compulsion;
• Post-traumatic symptoms;
• and more…

Excessive Screen Use Leads to Double Depression Risk in Children

A study from 2018 [2] found that children and adolescents who spend upward of seven hours per day on screens and digital devices weretwice as likely to develop depression and anxiety as low users.

Not only that, but spending just one hour per day on screens led to a greater risk of psychological or behavioral issues.

Some of these issues include:

• Less emotional stability;
• Higher distractibility;
• Inability to finish tasks;
• Less curiosity;
• Less self-control;
• More difficulty making new friends;
• Being more challenging to care for.

The older the participants were (14 to 17-year-olds, in this case), the greater the association between screen time and poorer mental and emotional health. In this study, even moderate users were at risk.

It’s not just teenagers and young adults who are at risk, either.

Stress and Depression With Excessive Childhood Screen Use

Screen time doesn’t just affect children in the present or the immediate future. A 2025 population-based study published in the JAMA Network Open Journal has found that excessive screen time in childhood can lead to poor mental health as they move into adolescence.

The study’s conductors and analysts made longitudinal associations between Finnish children’s screen time data from 2007 to 2009 (they were about 7 years old) and mental health data for those same children from 2015 to 2017 as teenagers.

The results present further evidence of the risk associated with high levels of screen time.

Effects of Screen Time on Toddlers and Infants

Research into the effects of screens on infants and toddlers has demonstrated some truly astonishing—and frankly concerning—results.

One study [3] examined the effects of screens on infants between newborns and 18 months old, analyzing how screen time impaired their health. The data proved that infants who were exposed to screens experienced decreased daytime sleep.

This did help them to sleep more at night (the result of built-up “sleep homeostatic pressure”), but the fact that it interfered with their sleep rhythms and quality is certainly troublesome for parents.

Screen Time and Sleep: Melatonin Suppression and Poor Rest

Another study [4] looked at the effects of screen time on preschool-age children (around 3-5 years old).

The week-long study involved three different conditions:

• Five days of following a strict sleep schedule;
• One day in a dim-light environment;
• One day in a dim-light environment with exposure to bright light stimulus (simulating screen use) before bedtime.

The bright light stimulus proved to suppress melatonin significantly, and the melatonin impairment continued long after the bright light stimulus was removed.

This makes clear that exposure to bright lights and screens in the evening can have a direct impact on your kids’ ability to fall asleep. The melatonin suppression resulting from the blue light associated with screen time can lead to poor sleep hygiene, settling difficulties, and possibly even lower sleep quality overall.

Harvard Medical School published an article in 2019 talking about the effects that screen time has on the brain [5].

They explain the negative effects in a simple yet sobering way:

“The growing human brain is constantly building neural connections while pruning away less-used ones, and digital media use plays an active role in that process. Much of what happens on screen provides “impoverished” stimulation of the developing brain compared to reality. Children need a diverse menu of online and offline experiences, including the chance to let their minds wander. Boredom is the space in which creativity and imagination happen.”

Screen time is a confirmed sleep disruptor. The reason is that it suppresses melatonin, but also encourages staying up late at night and not getting to sleep on a proper schedule. This can lead to reduced brain development, poorer memory and recall, and impaired learning ability.

Social Media, Gaming, and the Variable Reward System

The way that social media and games work on our brains’ “variable reward system” can also be harmful. Think of the variable reward system as a slot machine: you simply pull the handle and hope you’re going to hit big, even if that means putting up with the frustration of not succeeding time and time again.

It tricks the brain into banking on something that might happen rather than encouraging children and teenagers to work to improve their brains.

Because a child’s and teenager’s brain is still developing, the systems that regulate self-control aren’t fully in place. This makes them more vulnerable to the addictive effects of variable rewards from gaming consoles and social media.

Long-Term Cognitive Effects of Excessive Screen Use

Many of the issues that we see with excessive screen use can be long-term. Researchers have found that prolonged screen time can lead to cognitive issues stemming from structural changes in the brain.

Some of these problems may include: 

• Attention issues;
• Impaired decision-making;
• Loss of impulse control;
• And more.

Over time, these cognitive shifts may contribute to lower psychological well-being and influence behavioral outcomes. This is particularly true in areas related to focus, self-regulation, and emotional stability.

Strategies for Reducing Screen Time in Your Family

As you’ve seen above, screen time can be very harmful for your kids no matter their age. It’s important for you, the parent, to establish safeguards, boundaries, and guidelines to keep screen time from being excessive in your home.

Here are a few things you can do:

• Put down screens when talking to each other. Make it a rule in your household that when people are talking, everyone in the conversation puts their screens down. This prevents distraction and increases emotional availability.
• Cut out screen time two hours before bedtime. Screens should be put down at least two hours before bed in order to keep bright light stimuli from reducing melatonin levels and impairing sleep quality.
• Keep screens in shared spaces. Make sure all the tablets, TVs, and computers are set up in the shared spaces in your home. Give everyone headphones so they can enjoy their entertainment, games, and media without disturbing or being disturbed by others. Still, make sure that everything happens in public so you can keep an eye on what everyone is doing and how the screens are being used.

Clear screen-time limits help create healthier daily habits. Over time, this can reduce negative associations between screen time and lower health-related quality of life for the whole family.

Setting Healthy Boundaries: Screen-Free Zones and Times

Overusing electronic devices with screens is one of the worst habits for your brain. However, screen use in moderation is okay for children 18 months and older, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Here are the guidelines the organization has published on Common Sense Media: 

• Under 18 months: Avoid screen time other than video-chatting.
• Age 18–24 months: Find high-quality programming (if you choose to introduce screen time), and watch or play together in your leisure time.
• Age 2–5: Limit screen use to one hour per day of high-quality programs.

To make it easier to limit screen time, parents can implement screen-free zones and times. This is where certain areas in the house are no-phone zones —such as at the dining room table.

Make it a rule that while you’re sitting at the table, everyone puts their cell phones down and screens away. Set a time limit for how long dinner will last, such as 15 to 30 minutes, to keep people off their devices. Establishing zones like this helps reduce screen-based temptation.

Practical Alternatives to Screen-Based Activities 

Kids don’t need frequent screen time to have fun; there are so many screen-free activities they can enjoy on a regular basis. They can play board games, read books, listen to music, draw, color, bake, or build something with their hands.

Here are some other more specific activities to set up for your little ones: 

• Go on a walk through your neighborhood or a hike through the local forest preserve.
• Start a garden or maintain your existing one.
• Take a ride on a bike or scooter.
• Play an instrument or start your own family band.
• Have the children put on a puppet show for the family.

Not only do activities like these keep your kids away from screens and their potentially negative effects, but they also stimulate their imagination. On top of that, switching out screen time for more meaningful activities can deepen their connection with you and others around them.

One of the most effective ways to keep your kids away from screens is to set an example for them and disconnect from your screen, too. When you do so, your children may be more likely to follow suit.

Balancing Screen Time: Using Screens Positively 

In the age we’re living in, it’s nearly impossible to give up screens entirely. And many wouldn’t want to do so, given that screen use can sometimes be a positive.

To ensure balance in screen time and reduce adverse health outcomes, you can do the following:

• Set well-defined limits for media screen time in the household for playing video games, watching videos on social media, etc.
• If needed, use parental controls, timers, or tracking apps to monitor screen use.
• Steer your kids toward educational, creative, high-quality content.
• Encourage your kids to participate in no-screen activities.

Balanced screen use isn’t about elimination; it’s about intention. By guiding how screens are used, you can protect health while encouraging learning, creativity, and meaningful offline experiences.

Taking Charge of Screen Time for Better Mental Health 

Screens in and of themselves aren’t harmful. On the contrary, they can be an amazing source of learning, enrichment, and growth. However, if used excessively or incorrectly, they can damage your child’s brain and lead to long-term mental, cognitive, and physical health problems (as you saw above).

Curbing screen time is essential to help your kids be happier and healthier in mind and body. The tips above can help you put guidelines into place that will help you keep screen time under control in your own home.

Note: If you believe that your child has mental health issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional for assistance. They can help to alleviate depressive symptoms, sleep quality issues, social anxiety, and more in children and adolescents. The sooner your child receives the help they need, the better mental health outcomes you’re likely to see.

If you’re looking for more expert guidance to support your child’s mental and emotional development, we recommend exploring the Young & Thriving docuseries.

Children’s brain development and mental health are complex topics, which may often feel confusing to parents and caretakers. To effectively navigate the maze of kids’ development and emotional wellbeing, sign up for the free screening of the Young & Thriving docuseries. Inside, you’ll meet 43 functional medicine experts, who spent their entire careers helping families manage anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, tics, and allowing children to thrive despite their unique challenges.

Click here to watch “Young & Thriving” for free and see the most innovative ways to support children’s mental health, promote brain development, and transform your family with simple, yet groundbreaking lifestyle protocols.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours of screen time is healthy for a teenager?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that there’s no screen time recommendation for teenagers. And it’s because of how different types of screen time have varying effects on the adolescent mind. So, when it comes to teenagers, the blanket recommendation is to use screens mindfully and balance technology use with time away from screens.

Does screen time trigger ADHD?

Too much time spent on screens does not trigger ADHD. The condition is thought to be caused by some combination of genetic, environmental, and central nervous system-based issues. But screen time can worsen ADHD symptoms and lead to a ton of other issues, as outlined in the article text above.

Can you reverse the effects of too much screen time?

Yes. High users can make mindful changes to reverse some, or all, of the effects of too much screen time.

These changes include the following:

• Reducing screen time;
• Getting outdoor physical activity (green time) to combat excessive sedentary time;
• Getting more sleep each night;
• Addressing cognitive difficulties with a professional.

Mental health professionals and school counselors may also address issues associated with mental health in schools.

Sources

Study Probes Connection Between Excessive Screen Media Activity and Mental Health Problems in Youth

Associations Between Screen Time and Lower Psychological Well-Being Among Children and Adolescents: Evidence From a Population-based Study

Childhood Lifestyle Behaviors and Mental Health Symptoms in Adolescence

Sleep and Screen Exposure Across the Beginning of Life: Deciphering the Links Using Big-Data Analytics

Sensitivity of the Circadian System to Evening Bright Light in Preschool-age Children

Screen Time Brain

Screen Usage Linked to Differences in Brain Structure in Young Children

The Association Between Screen Time and Attention in Children: A Systematic Review

How Excessive Screen Time is Affecting Your Child’s Brain?

Is Your Child Impulsive? Consider Sleep and Screen Time

Screen Time for Teenagers

ADHD in Children