Late Childhood Screen Time May Lead to Developmental Changes in Brain
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, July 3, 2025 -- Too much screen time in late childhood is associated with developmental changes in the brain, leading to more depressive symptoms in early adolescence, according to a study published online June 23 in JAMA Pediatrics.
João Paulo Lima Santos, M.D., from the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues conducted a prospective study to examine whether the association between screen time during late childhood (age 9 to 10 years) and depressive symptoms in early adolescence (age 11 to 13 years) could be explained by effects of screen time on sleep and white matter integrity. The analysis included 976 participants in the Adolescent Behavior Cognitive Development Study.
The researchers found that each additional hour of daily screen time at age 9 to 10 years was associated with a 0.12-point increase in the Child Behavior Checklist depressive score at age 11 to 13 years. At 11 to 13 years, shorter sleep duration and worse cingulum bundle organization (greater orientation dispersion index) mediated the association between more screen time and more depressive symptoms by 36.4 percent.
"Those of us who see kids as teenagers in pediatric neurology and even in general pediatrics, we know that this is happening," Ivan Pavkovic, M.D., an attending pediatric neurologist from the Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens, New York City, said in a statement. "We see every day in clinic that kids are on their screens way more for school and for social activities, that they're not sleeping enough. It's a nationwide epidemic of lack of sleep."
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2025
Read this next
Cancer Anxiety Impacts Family Members of Those Diagnosed With Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2025 -- A cancer diagnosis places an emotional burden on the loved ones of those diagnosed, according to the results of a survey released by the Ohio State...
Small-Group Professional Coaching Reduces Physician Burnout Rate
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 -- Small-group professional coaching can reduce physician burnout rates by up to nearly 30 percent, according to a study published online July 11 in...
Insomnia Plays a Role in Quality of Life for Patients With ADHD
MONDAY, July 21, 2025 -- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are associated with lower quality of life (QoL) in adults, and this association is only partially...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.