SynthesisBMC psychology2023
The associations between screen time and mental health in adolescents: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC psychology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07511374 (Activating Metacognition in Daily Life), which is not on this map. Cited by 134 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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.
Activating Metacognition in Daily Life: A Randomized Controlled Ecological Momentary Intervention to Improve Digital Self-Regulation and Well-Being
Who cites it
134 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The impact of social media on athletes' mental health: a systematic review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Pooled it
- Digital Devices Use and Sleep in Adolescents: An Umbrella Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions for Reducing Screen Time of Preschoolers: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of primary care & community healthPooled it
- Prevalence and Sociodemographic Correlates of Mental Health Symptoms Among Canadian Youth: A Cross-Sectional Study.Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2026Article
- Association of Weekly Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity with Subjective Vitality and Mental Toughness in Spanish Adolescents Aged 10-16 Years.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Classroom Active Breaks Effects on Attention and Concentration Performance Among Adolescents Attending Upper Secondary Schools in Southern Italy.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Lifestyle Factors Associated with Perceived Stress Among Adolescents: The Indirect Role of Mediterranean Diet Adherence in the Screen Time-Stress Association.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Digital Screen Time and Mental Health Difficulties Among Preschool Children in Western China: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Shared Behavioural Determinants of Short Sleep and Obesity From Childhood to Adolescence: An Analyses of Growing Up in Scotland Birth Cohort 1.Pediatric obesity · 2026Observational
- Digital Transition and Mental Health in School Settings: Does Handwriting Still Matter? A Multidisciplinary Perspective.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Review
- Mediating effects of healthy lifestyle factors on associations between mental health and functional outcomes in early adolescence.Psychological medicine · 2026Article
- Survey Showed That Limiting Daily Screen Time Could Help to Avoid Mental Health Issues in Children Aged 8-17Years.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Article
- Internet Gaming Addiction in Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review in the Context of Screen Time.Cureus · 2026Review
- Screen Time, Unhealthy Eating Behaviors, and Associated Health Risks in Children: A Narrative Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Predictors of Weekday and Weekend Screen Time in a Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Sample (Aged 12-18 Years).Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Studies Analyzing South American Public Policy Documents on Physical Activity: A Scoping Review.Epidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Trends and Behavioral Correlates of Excessive Screen Time Among Swedish Adolescents: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study (2017-2023).Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Article
- Trends and Influencing Factors in Temporal Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- An Examination of Digital Media and Device-Related Problems in Pediatric Hospital Visits for Psychiatric Crises.JAACAP open · 2026Article
74 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAdolescents have extensive use of screens and, they have common complains related to mental health. Here a systematic review was done to understand the association between screen time and adolescent's mental health.
methodThis review was conducted in compliance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses - PRISMA. An update search was performed in January 2023 with the following keywords: "screen time," "adolescent," and "mental health" on PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus databases.
results50 articles were included, most have found associations between screen exposure and mental health in adolescents. The most used device by adolescents was the smartphone and the use on weekdays was associated with diminished mental well-being. Social media use was negatively associated with mental well-being and, in girls, associated at higher risk for depression.
conclusionExcessive screen time in adolescents seems associated with mental health problems. Given the profusion and disparity of the results, additional studies are needed to clarify elements such as the screen content or the interaction of adolescents with different screen devices. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42022302817.
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What Socratic holds
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 Socratic graph.