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Baby screen time linked to higher anxiety in teens, major brain study finds

Baby screen time linked to higher anxiety in teens, major brain study finds

Babies who spend more time on screens may face higher anxiety in adolescence, researchers say.

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Published: March 4, 2026 at 1:24 PM

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Screens are an unavoidable part of modern family life, whether it is a quick cartoon while you cook dinner or a video call with grandparents. But a major new study suggests that screen time in the first two years of life could have longer-term effects than previously thought.

Researchers have found that higher levels of screen exposure in infancy were linked to increased anxiety symptoms in adolescence, through measurable changes in brain development during childhood.

The findings come from the long-running Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes, or GUSTO, birth cohort and were published in eBioMedicine, part of The Lancet group.

What did the study look at?

The research team, led by scientists from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore and the National University of Singapore, followed 168 children from infancy into their teenage years.

Parents reported their child’s daily screen time at ages 1 and 2. The children then had detailed brain scans at ages 4.5, 6 and 7.5, completed a decision-making task at 8.5, and filled in an anxiety questionnaire at 13.

The researchers were not just looking for a link between screens and anxiety. They wanted to understand whether changes in brain development and behaviour might help explain any connection.

In their interpretation, the study authors wrote:

Higher levels of infant screen time are linked to accelerated topological maturation of the visual and cognitive control networks, possibly related to sensory overstimulation. This leads to prolonged decision latency and higher levels of anxiety in adolescence.

Study authors, eBioMedicine

How could screen time affect anxiety years later?

The team focused on how different brain networks develop across early childhood, particularly those involved in visual processing and cognitive control.

They found that babies with higher screen time showed a steeper decrease in integration between visual and cognitive control networks between ages 4.5 and 7.5. The researchers describe this as a sign of accelerated maturation.

This brain pattern was then linked to slower decision-making at age 8.5, specifically longer “deliberation time” during a computer-based gambling task designed to measure how children weigh up choices.

In turn, longer deliberation time was associated with higher anxiety scores at age 13.

Importantly, the researchers found that the full pathway from infant screen time, to brain changes, to slower decision-making, to adolescent anxiety was statistically significant.

In simple terms, this suggests that early screen exposure may be linked to later anxiety through its impact on how the brain develops and how children process decisions.

The first two years may be especially important

One striking finding was that screen time at ages 3 to 4 did not show the same associations with brain development.

The researchers highlight the first two years as a critical window for brain growth. During this period, brain volume increases rapidly, and networks that support thinking, emotion and sensory processing are forming at pace.

In this study, children were already averaging more than one hour of screen time a day at age 1, and more than two hours at age 2, exceeding World Health Organisation guidance that recommends no screen time before age 2.

What this does and does not prove

While the findings are thought-provoking, this was an observational study. That means it shows associations, not direct cause and effect.

The researchers also did not analyse the type of content children were watching, whether parents were co-viewing, or whether screen time replaced activities such as outdoor play or face-to-face interaction.

Other factors that can influence anxiety, such as sleep quality, family history and parent-child interaction, were not fully accounted for.

The sample size, 168 children with complete brain and behavioural data, is strong for an imaging study but still relatively small.

What does this mean for parents?

For UK families, where screens are woven into daily life, the findings are unlikely to mean eliminating devices altogether. Instead, they add weight to existing advice about limiting screen exposure in the early years.

The researchers suggest that reducing infant screen time could have benefits for children’s cognitive and mental health outcomes. They also highlight sensory processing as a potential area for future early intervention.

For parents navigating real life with babies and toddlers, this study is a reminder that the first two years are a sensitive period for brain development. Small, everyday habits may add up over time.

As always, balance is key. Shared screen moments, video calls with loved ones and age-appropriate content can all play a role in family life. But when it comes to babies, less may well be more.