TY - JOUR
T1 - An umbrella review of the benefits and risks associated with youths’ interactions with electronic screens
AU - Sanders, Taren
AU - Noetel, Michael
AU - Parker, Philip
AU - Del Pozo Cruz, Borja
AU - Biddle, Stuart
AU - Ronto, Rimante
AU - Hulteen, Ryan
AU - Parker, Rhiannon
AU - Thomas, George
AU - De Cocker, Katrien
AU - Salmon, Jo
AU - Hesketh, Kylie
AU - Weeks, Nicole
AU - Arnott, Hugh
AU - Devine, Emma
AU - Vasconcellos, Roberta
AU - Pagano, Rebecca
AU - Sherson, Jamie
AU - Conigrave, James
AU - Lonsdale, Chris
PY - 2024/1
Y1 - 2024/1
N2 - The influence of electronic screens on the health of children and adolescents and their education is not well understood. In this prospectively registered umbrella review (PROSPERO identifier CRD42017076051), we harmonized effects from 102 meta-analyses (2,451 primary studies; 1,937,501 participants) of screen time and outcomes. In total, 43 effects from 32 meta-analyses met our criteria for statistical certainty. Meta-analyses of associations between screen use and outcomes showed small-to-moderate effects (range: r = –0.14 to 0.33). In education, results were mixed; for example, screen use was negatively associated with literacy (r = –0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = –0.20 to –0.09, P ≤ 0.001, k = 38, N = 18,318), but this effect was positive when parents watched with their children (r = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.28, P = 0.028, k = 12, N = 6,083). In health, we found evidence for several small negative associations; for example, social media was associated with depression (r = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.19, P ≤ 0.001, k = 12, N = 93,740). Limitations of our review include the limited number of studies for each outcome, medium-to-high risk of bias in 95 out of 102 included meta-analyses and high heterogeneity (17 out of 22 in education and 20 out of 21 in health with I 2 > 50%). We recommend that caregivers and policymakers carefully weigh the evidence for potential harms and benefits of specific types of screen use.
AB - The influence of electronic screens on the health of children and adolescents and their education is not well understood. In this prospectively registered umbrella review (PROSPERO identifier CRD42017076051), we harmonized effects from 102 meta-analyses (2,451 primary studies; 1,937,501 participants) of screen time and outcomes. In total, 43 effects from 32 meta-analyses met our criteria for statistical certainty. Meta-analyses of associations between screen use and outcomes showed small-to-moderate effects (range: r = –0.14 to 0.33). In education, results were mixed; for example, screen use was negatively associated with literacy (r = –0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = –0.20 to –0.09, P ≤ 0.001, k = 38, N = 18,318), but this effect was positive when parents watched with their children (r = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.28, P = 0.028, k = 12, N = 6,083). In health, we found evidence for several small negative associations; for example, social media was associated with depression (r = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.19, P ≤ 0.001, k = 12, N = 93,740). Limitations of our review include the limited number of studies for each outcome, medium-to-high risk of bias in 95 out of 102 included meta-analyses and high heterogeneity (17 out of 22 in education and 20 out of 21 in health with I 2 > 50%). We recommend that caregivers and policymakers carefully weigh the evidence for potential harms and benefits of specific types of screen use.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Bias
KW - Child
KW - Humans
KW - Parents
KW - Risk Assessment
U2 - 10.1038/s41562-023-01712-8
DO - 10.1038/s41562-023-01712-8
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37957284
AN - SCOPUS:85176450686
SN - 2397-3374
VL - 8
SP - 82
EP - 99
JO - Nature Human Behaviour
JF - Nature Human Behaviour
ER -