Conference Agenda

Background: Excessive screen use among children has been linked to poorer mental health. This study examined the association between screen time and symptoms of mental health and beahavioural problems in children, and whether associations varied by sleep duration or physical activity.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 7768 nine‑year‑old Swedish children (46% girls). Parents reported their children’s mental health symptoms using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, which includes five subscales: emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer problems and prosocial behaviour. Screen time and sleep duration were parent‑reported, and vigorous physical activity (VPA) was measured using accelerometers. Data were analysed with generalized estimating equations.

Results: On weekdays, most children (76%) accumulated the recommended 0–2 hours of daily screen time, whereas only one third met this level on weekends. Higher screen time was negatively associated with all subscales, showing a dose–response pattern. The findings were consistent across weekdays and weekends. Children with short sleep duration had higher hyperactivity and emotional symptom scores regardless of weekend screen time. Among children with medium or long sleep duration, both outcomes tended to increase with higher levels of weekend screen time. No interaction effects were seen for VPA.

Conclusions: Higher screen time was associated with symptoms of mental health, with stronger associations at higher exposure levels. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring screen use in school‑aged children and considering screen‑related behaviours in strategies to support their mental well‑being.

Funding source: This work was supported by the Knowledge Foundation and the Swedish Research Council.