Screen Use and Child and Adolescent Development and Mental Health Outcomes: A Quantitative Umbrella Review

Given the ubiquity of screens in children's lives and public concerns about potential effects on development and mental health, a consolidated, up-to-date synthesis of empirical evidence linking screen exposure with development and mental health outcomes is needed to inform stakeholders and policymakers.

To synthesize and quantify meta-analytic associations between screen-based media exposure and developmental outcomes among individuals aged 18 years or younger using an umbrella review methodology.

Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases were systematically searched from inception to November 25, 2025.

Meta-analyses of population-based samples of children aged 18 years or younger that were published in English were included.

Data from 23 meta-analyses were extracted and synthesized. This umbrella review adhered to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline. Relevant data from each eligible meta-analysis were extracted by 2 independent reviewers at the meta-analytic level and the primary study level, with effect sizes converted to Pearson r for reanalysis.

The primary outcomes were academic functioning, cognitive skills, socioemotional development, and mental health.

Data from 23 meta-analyses, representing 2 817 252 children from 64 countries, were extracted and synthesized. Screen-based media exposure was associated with lower academic achievement (r = -0.15; 95% CI, -0.23 to -0.07) and language skills (r = -0.14; 95% CI, -0.18 to -0.10) and with higher internalizing behavior (general screen use: r = 0.10; 95% CI, 0.07-0.13; social media use: r = 0.09; 95% CI, 0.06-0.12) and externalizing behavior (r = 0.11; 95% CI, 0.08-0.14), emotional problems (r = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.08-0.50), and peer problems (r = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.04-0.49). Screen-based media exposure was not associated with executive functioning (r = 0.01; 95% CI, -0.09 to 0.11), prosociality (r = -0.22; 95% CI, -0.43 to 0.01), or mathematics (r = -0.10; 95% CI, -0.23 to 0.03), science (r = -0.03; 95% CI, -0.15 to 0.11), or reading (r = -0.02; 95% CI, -0.12 to 0.09) scores. Screen type, subtype of behavior problems, publication year, and age moderated some of these associations.

This umbrella review identified associations between screen use and several domains of children's developmental health outcomes in population-based studies. These findings can inform the development and refinement of evidence-informed guidelines and policies on children's screen-based media use issued by medical and governmental organizations.