Cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations of screen time with adolescent depression and anxiety.

Objective: The relationship between screen time and mental health in adolescents is debated in the scientific literature, with longitudinal studies lacking. This study examined the cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations between screen time and depression and anxiety and the influence of malad...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:British Journal of Clinical Psychology Vol. 64; no. 4; pp. 873 - 888
Autores principales: Li, Sophie H., Batterham, Philip J., Whitton, Alexis E., Maston, Kate, Khan, Asaduzzaman, Christensen, Helen, Werner‐Seidler, Aliza
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Nov2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=188520234&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ccm
    uiTerm: 188520234
    longDbName: CINAHL Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    dissinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        01446657
        99B
      jtl: British Journal of Clinical Psychology
      issn: 01446657
      maglogo: Y
    pubinfo:
      dt: Nov2025
      vid: 64
      iid: 4
      pid: 480
      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
      place: Malden, Massachusetts
    artinfo:
      ui:
        188520234
        184646569
        188520234
        188520234
        10.1111/bjc.12547
        188520234
      ppf: 873
      ppct: 15
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: C
          – @attributes:
              type: P
      tig:
        atl: Cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations of screen time with adolescent depression and anxiety.
      aug:
        au:
          Li, Sophie H.
          Batterham, Philip J.
          Whitton, Alexis E.
          Maston, Kate
          Khan, Asaduzzaman
          Christensen, Helen
          Werner‐Seidler, Aliza
        affil: School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney New South Wales,, Australia
      sug:
        subj:
          Depression Risk Factors
          Anxiety Risk Factors
          Screen Time Evaluation
          Mental Health In Adolescence
          Social Media Utilization
          Sex Factors Evaluation
          Human
          Funding Source
          Male
          Female
          Adolescence
          Child
          Cross Sectional Studies
          Prospective Studies
          Australia
          Self Report
          Gender Identity
          Social Class
          Internal Consistency
          Coefficient alpha
          Pearson's Correlation Coefficient
          Data Analysis Software
          Descriptive Statistics
          Confidence Intervals
          Psychometrics
          Interpersonal Relations
          Questionnaires
          Scales
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Child: 6-12 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Objective: The relationship between screen time and mental health in adolescents is debated in the scientific literature, with longitudinal studies lacking. This study examined the cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations between screen time and depression and anxiety and the influence of maladaptive social media use and gender on these associations. Methods: We analysed a sample of 4058 adolescents (mean age = 13.9) recruited from 134 Australian schools as part of the Future Proofing Study, a 5‐year prospective cohort study of adolescent mental health. Linear mixed models used Time 1 and Time 2 (12‐month follow‐up) data to examine cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations of screen time with depression and anxiety and the influence of maladaptive social media use and gender. Results: Screen time was associated with mental health symptoms cross‐sectionally, with each additional hour of screen time corresponding with a 1.25 and.79 increase in measures of depression and anxiety, respectively. Longitudinally, these associations were markedly weaker. Each additional hour of screen time corresponded with only a.15 increase in depression at 12 months and showed no association with anxiety at 12 months. Neither gender nor maladaptive social media use substantially influenced screen time–symptom associations. Conclusions: Compared to cross‐sectional associations, longitudinal associations were weak, indicating that high screen time is unlikely to cause depression and anxiety; instead, observed relationships may be bidirectional. Experimental studies to understand the nuances underlying the relationship between screen time and mental health are needed to support the development of targeted strategies that promote healthy screen time habits among adolescents.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
    refInfo:
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N