Excessive screen time linked to lower psychological well-being

The current research aims to examine associations between screen time and a diverse array of measures of psychological well-being (including emotional stability, relationships with caregivers, self-control, diagnoses of mood disorders, and treatment of mental health issues) among a large population-based survey the caregivers of children and adolescents ages 2 to 17 collected in 2016 in the U.S.

• More hours of screen time are associated with lower well-being in ages 2 to 17.
• High users show less curiosity, self-control, and emotional stability.
• Twice as many high (vs. low) users of screens had an anxiety or depression diagnosis.
• Non-users and low users did not differ in well-being.
• Associations with well-being were larger for adolescents than for children.

Source: ScienceDirect