A RECENT study involving 976 children has found that increased screen time during late childhood is linked to higher levels of depressive symptoms in early adolescence, with sleep duration and brain structure playing key mediating roles.
Conducted using data from the Adolescent Behavior Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, researchers examined children aged 9–10 years and followed up when they were aged 11–13. The findings suggest that shorter sleep and reduced white matter organisation in the brain together explained over a third of the association between screen time and depressive symptoms.
Each additional hour of daily screen use at baseline was associated with a 0.12-point increase in depressive symptoms on the Child Behavior Checklist two years later. Importantly, 36.4% of this relationship was mediated by shorter sleep duration and worse structural integrity of a key white matter tract in the brain, the cingulum bundle. Furthermore, 37.5% of the relationship between screen time and poorer white matter integrity was mediated by shorter sleep alone. These results highlight the complex ways in which screen exposure may influence emotional well-being, not just behaviourally but biologically as well.
White matter tracts such as the cingulum bundle, forceps minor, and uncinate fasciculus are known to be involved in emotional regulation and are often affected in individuals with depression. Disruption in their organisation could contribute to the onset of depressive symptoms. Since sleep duration is a modifiable behaviour, these findings underscore the importance of promoting good sleep hygiene as a way to buffer against the negative mental health impacts of excessive screen time.
In summary, the study suggests that managing screen time and encouraging healthy sleep habits during late childhood may be key strategies to help reduce the risk of developing depressive symptoms in early adolescence.
Reference
Lima Santos JP et al. Role of sleep and white matter in the link between screen time and depression in childhood and early adolescence. JAMA Pediatr. Published online June 23, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.1718.
