Psychologists tracked 292,000 kids’ screen time—what they found is alarming

Too much time using screens can lead to emotional and behavioral difficulties in children—leading to children spending more time glued to their devices, creating a vicious cycle, according to new research.

The research conducted by the American Psychological Association and published in the journal Psychological Bulletin reviewed and analyzed 117 separate studies involving more than 292,000 children under the age of 10 from around the world.

Researchers found strong evidence linking higher screen use to a range of socio-emotional problems, including anxiety, depression, aggression and low self-esteem.

“Children are spending more and more time on screens, for everything from entertainment to homework to messaging friends,” said paper author and psychology professor Michael Noetel of Queensland University, Australia, in a statement.

“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 focused on studies that followed children over a period of at least six months, offering a better picture of how screen use and emotional health are connected over time. They looked at all types of screen-based activities—from TV watching and video games to social media and online schoolwork.

Most of the studies in the review were from the United States, but data also came from Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries.

Across the board, a clear trend emerged: the more time kids spent using screens, the more likely they were to develop emotional or behavioral issues. At the same time, children already struggling emotionally were more likely to turn to screens, especially for gaming, as a way to cope.

The pattern varied depending on age and gender. Children aged 6–10 appeared more vulnerable to the harmful effects of screen time than those aged 0–5. Girls were generally more at risk of developing emotional problems with greater screen use, while boys were more likely to increase their screen time when already facing such challenges.

The type of content also mattered. Gaming was more strongly linked with negative outcomes than educational or recreational screen use. Children with socio-emotional difficulties were especially drawn to gaming as a coping mechanism.

According to Noetel, these findings highlight the importance of not only limiting screen time but also paying attention to what children are doing on their screens and why. He suggested that parents use tools like parental controls, but also be mindful that kids using screens heavily might need emotional support, not just stricter rules.

“This comprehensive study highlights the need for a nuanced approach to managing children’s screen time,” said lead author and health scientist Roberta Vasconcellos of the University of New South Wales in a statement.

“By understanding the bidirectional relationship between screen use and socio-emotional problems, parents, educators and policymakers can better support children’s healthy development in an increasingly digital world.”

Since all of the included studies followed children over time, the analysis provides stronger evidence of a possible cause-and-effect link between screen use and emotional health than studies that only offer a snapshot at a single moment. However, Noetel cautioned that other factors, like parenting style, could still play a role.

“It’s about as close as we can get to causal evidence without randomly cutting screens for thousands of kids,” he said. “But still, we can’t completely rule out other factors—like parenting style—that could influence both screen use and emotional problems.”

The researchers urged parents, teachers, and policymakers to take a thoughtful approach to screen time—one that considers not only how long children are on screens, but also what content they’re engaging with and the social context in which they use it.

According to the study’s public significance statement, some types of screen use, like coviewing with parents, appear to have little harm. Supporting children’s emotional development in other ways could help avoid the cycle of screen overuse and emotional distress.

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Reference

Vasconcellos, R. P., Sanders, T., Lonsdale, C., Parker, P., Conigrave, J., Tang, S., del Pozo Cruz, B., Biddle, S. J. H., Taylor, R., Innes-Hughes, C., Salmela-Aro, K., Vasconcellos, D., Wilhite, K., Tremaine, E., Booker, B., & Noetel, M. (2025). Electronic screen use and children’s socioemotional problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 151(5), 513–543. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000468