Children who spend more time in front of screens may be trading it for something more important: sleep—and, eventually, their emotional well-being.
Greater daily screen time in late childhood was linked to higher levels of depressive symptoms in early adolescence, according to a longitudinal study of nearly 1,000 children researchers found that greater daily screen time in late childhood was linked to higher levels of depressive symptoms in early adolescence.
This association was partly explained by shorter sleep and changes in brain white matter involved in emotional regulation.
The study followed 976 children from ages 9 to 13 years. At baseline, none had a history of psychiatric disorders. Researchers collected data on screen use, sleep patterns, and brain development through neuroimaging.
Each additional hour of daily screen time at ages 9 to 10 years was associated with a 0.12-point increase in depressive symptom scores 2 years later, based on the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist.
More screen time was also linked to less sleep. Each additional hour of screen use corresponded to a 0.21-hour reduction in daily sleep. On average, children reported 9 hours of sleep per night.
Shorter sleep duration was associated with greater disorganization in the cingulum bundle, a brain tract involved in emotional processing. This was measured using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), a neuroimaging technique that assesses the organization of white matter fibers.
Disorganization in the cingulum bundle was also associated with increased depressive symptoms. Combined, shorter sleep and reduced white matter coherence accounted for 36.4% of the association between more screen time and depression scores.
Researchers identified thresholds for effects. One hour of screen time was linked to shorter sleep, 2 hours to more depressive symptoms, and 3 or more hours to changes in white matter structure.
Analysis by screen activity showed that passive and active entertainment, such as watching videos or playing video games, were more strongly associated with sleep loss and brain changes than social communication activities like texting or video chatting.
The study controlled for sex, race, socioeconomic status, pubertal development, and baseline depressive symptoms. Neuroimaging data were harmonized across imaging sites to reduce variability.
Researchers noted that while screen use is common and often necessary for education and communication, higher screen time in late childhood may affect sleep and brain development—both of which are linked to mental health in early adolescence.
They emphasized that sleep may be one of the earliest areas affected by screen use and could be a potential target for prevention strategies.
These findings underscore the need for further research into how digital behaviors influence neurodevelopment in sensitive periods of growth.
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Source: JAMA Pediatrics
