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Is screen time really harming children? A major new study reveals it's more complicated than you might think

Is screen time really harming children? A major new study reveals it's more complicated than you might think

A major review of more than 2.8 million children links higher screen use with language, academic and emotional difficulties

three kids with electronic devices on a sofa

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Published: September 29, 2026 at 11:43 AM

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Higher screen use has been linked with poorer language development, lower overall academic achievement and a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties in children, according to a major new study.

Researchers reviewed data from more than 2.8 million children across 64 countries, making it one of the largest studies of its kind. The research looked at digital screen use including smartphones, televisions, social media, gaming, streaming and video calls.

The findings suggest that screen time is one factor associated with children's development and wellbeing, although experts have stressed that the results do not show that screens are the sole cause of emotional or academic difficulties.

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What did the study find about children's screen time?

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, was an umbrella review, meaning researchers brought together findings from previous large-scale reviews rather than collecting new data directly from children.

Overall, longer periods of digital and social media use were associated with "less favourable outcomes across multiple (although not all) measured domains of children's developmental health."

Higher screen exposure was linked with lower overall school grades and poorer language development. However, the researchers did not find an association between screen time and attainment in maths, reading or science.

The authors noted that these subjects were "among the least studied", meaning there was not enough evidence to draw firm conclusions.

The study also found links between higher screen use and emotional and peer problems, as well as "internalising behaviour", which can include symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.

There was also an association with "externalising behaviour", including aggression and symptoms associated with ADHD.

How significant are the findings?

The researchers, led by academics at the University of Calgary in Canada, said the size of the associations was comparable with, or greater than, those seen for some established factors linked to children's development and mental health.

"Our review revealed that higher so-called doses of screen exposure are associated with lower overall academic achievement and poorer language development, as well as higher internalising and externalising behaviour, emotional problems and peer problems," the authors wrote.

They added that the effect sizes were "similar in magnitude to or larger than" those reported for factors including socioeconomic status, parenting behaviour and preterm birth.

Our review revealed that higher so-called doses of screen exposure are associated with lower overall academic achievement and poorer language development, as well as... emotional problems and peer problems.

Elizabeth Al-Jbouri, Marissa D. Nivison, Ross D. Neville, PhD, the study's authors

However, the researchers stressed that screen use was only one potentially modifiable factor associated with children's wellbeing.

Experts say the results need to be interpreted carefully

The study's findings do not establish that screen time directly causes poor mental health, lower grades or language difficulties.

Tatiana Íñiguez Berrozpe, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Zaragoza in Spain, said the association between screen use, mental health and academic performance was small.

"This is not an insignificant finding, but it in no way supports the mantra that screens are the main cause of adolescent emotional distress," she said. "Screen use alone does not explain why a teenager is emotionally distressed or performs less well academically."

Esther van Sluijs, a professor of behavioural epidemiology at Loughborough University, described the research as "high-quality" and says that it does "show a relationship between overall screen time and some developmental and mental health outcomes" - but she highlighted a key limitation.

"It cannot draw robust conclusions about specific types of screen use, like social media use or gaming, as there was not enough data to study this. We should therefore be cautious in interpreting these results in the context of young people's current screen use habits," she said.

What does this mean for parents?

The research adds to evidence that the amount of time children spend using screens can be associated with several areas of development, but it does not suggest that every type of screen use has the same effect.

The study also did not find associations across every area measured, with no link identified for some outcomes including executive functioning, prosocial behaviour, reading, maths and science attainment.

The authors concluded that screen use "may represent one potentially modifiable factor associated with children's well-being across multiple domains", while the experts highlighted the need for more research into how different types of screen activity affect children.

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