Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Sep 9:43:e2023250.
doi: 10.1590/1984-0462/2025/43/2023250. eCollection 2024.

Associations of screen time with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents

Maria Carolina Juvêncio Francisquini  1 , Thais Maria de Souza Silva  1 , Géssika Castilho Dos Santos  1 , Rodrigo de Oliveira Barbosa  1 , Pedro Henrique Garcia Dias  1 , Ariel Bello Ruiz  1 , Jadson Marcio da Silva  2 , Antonio Stabelini Neto  1   2
Affiliations

Associations of screen time with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents

Maria Carolina Juvêncio Francisquini et al. Rev Paul Pediatr. .

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Objective: To examine the associations between self-reported screen time and symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 982 adolescents aged between 12 and 15 years, enrolled in public schools in Jacarezinho (PR), Brazil. Screen time was assessed by the question "Considering a typical day, how much time do you spend watching TV, playing videogame, using computer or smartphone?" The DASS-21 questionnaire (short form) was used to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Crude and adjusted analyses (age, sex, and maternal level of education) between screen time and mental disorders symptoms were performed using general linear regression models, with Poisson distribution, with significance level at p<0.05.

Results: Higher depressive symptoms were observed in adolescents who reported screen time of 4-6 hours/day (PR 1.35, 95%CI 1.13-1.61) and ≥6 hours/day (PR 1.88, 95%CI 1.62-2.19), compared with their pairs with <2 hours/day. The same was observed for anxiety symptoms with screen time of 4-6 hours/day (PR 1.23, 95%CI 1.04-1.46) and ≥6 hours/day (PR 1.50, 95%CI 1.28-1.77); and stress, with 4-6 hours/day (PR 1.25, 95%CI 1.08-1.44) and ≥6 hours/day (PR 1.49, 95%CI 1.30-1.71), also compared with their pairs with <2 hours/day.

Conclusions: Screen time was positively associated with depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms in adolescents. Special attention should be given to those who spend more than four hours a day in front of a screen.

Objetivo:: Examinar a associação entre o tempo de tela autorreportado e os sintomas de estresse, ansiedade e depressão em adolescentes.

Métodos:: Foi realizado estudo com delineamento transversal com 982 adolescentes entre 12-15 anos, matriculados na rede pública de ensino da cidade de Jacarezinho (PR). Para mensurar o tempo de tela, os adolescentes responderam à pergunta: “Considerando um dia típico, quanto tempo você passa assistindo TV, jogando videogame, usando computador ou smartphone?”. O questionário DASS-21 (versão curta) foi utilizado para avaliar os sintomas de depressão, ansiedade e estresse. Análises brutas e ajustadas (idade, sexo e nível de escolaridade materna) entre tempo de tela e indicadores de saúde mental foram realizadas por meio do modelo de regressão linear generalizado, com distribuição de Poisson, adotando a significância de p<0,05.

Resultados:: Maiores sintomas depressivos foram observados em adolescentes com tempo de tela de 4–6 horas/dia (RP 1,35, IC95% 1,13–1,61) e ≥6 horas/dia (RP 1,88, IC95% 1,62–2,19) quando comparados com seus pares com ≤2 horas/dia. O mesmo foi observado para os sintomas de ansiedade com tempo de tela de 4–6 horas/dia (RP 1,23, IC95% 1,04–1,46) e ≥6 horas/dia (RP 1,50, IC95% 1,28–1,77); e estresse, com 4–6 horas/dia (RP 1,25, IC95% 1,08–1,44) e ≥6 horas/dia (RP 1,49, IC95% 1,30–1,71), também comparados com seus pares com ≤2 horas/dia.

Conclusões:: O tempo de tela foi associado positivamente com os sintomas de depressão, ansiedade e estresse em adolescentes. Atenção especial deve ser dada àqueles que passam mais de quatro horas por dia em frente a uma tela.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interests: The authors declare there is no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Prevalence ratios between the amount of screen time and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lopes CS, Abreu GA, Santos DF, Menezes PR, Carvalho KM, Cunha CF, et al. ERICA: prevalence of common mental disorders in Brazilian adolescents. Rev Saude Publica. 2016;50(Supl 1):14s. doi: 10.1590/S01518-8787.2016050006690. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Organización Mundial de la Salud . [homepage on the Internet]. Salud mental del adolescente. Ginebra: OMS; 2021. [[cited 2023 Dec 15]]. Available from: https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-he... .
    1. Cao H, Qian Q, Weng T, Changjang Y, Sun Y, Wang H, et al. Screen time, physical activity and mental health among urban adolescents in China. Prev Med. 2011;53:316–20. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.09.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tremblay MS, Aubert S, Barnes JD, Saunders TJ, Carson V, Latimer-Cheung AE, et al. Sedentary Behavior Research Network (SBRN) – Terminology Consensus Project process and outcome. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017;14:75. doi: 10.1186/s12966-017-0525-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. We Are Social. Meltwater [homepage on the Internet]. Digital 2023 global overview report. The essential guide to the world’s connected behaviours. 2023. [[cited 2023 Dec 10]]. Available from: https://wearesocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Digital-2023-Global-O... .