More Screen Time Linked to Higher Stress, Depression in Adolescents

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A Finnish study found that higher cumulative screen time — especially mobile device use — from childhood to adolescence was associated with increased perceived stress and depressive symptoms. In contrast, higher physical activity levels, including supervised exercise, were linked to lower stress and depressive symptoms.

The findings highlight the importance of reducing screen time and promoting physical activity to support adolescent mental health.

“Understanding the importance of different lifestyle behaviors in preventing and mitigating mental health symptoms in children and adolescents is essential for effective evidence-informed lifestyle interventions,” wrote a team of investigators led by Eero Haapala, Ph.D., a senior lecturer from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä.

This is of particular importance as approximately 25% to 30% of adolescents and young adults experience mental health problems.

To assess whether lifestyle behaviors from childhood impact perceived stress and depression in adolescence and how to promote better mental health among young people, investigators evaluated data from 187 adolescents enrolled in the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study.

Investigators collected information on physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet quality and sleep at baseline (between October 2007 and November 2009), year two and year eight (between December 2015 and December 2017). A questionnaire assessed physical activity and screen time. At eight-year follow-up visits, perceived stress was measured using the Finnish version of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, while depression was evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory.

Approximately half of participants were boys (51.9%), and the mean age was 15.8 years. Perceived stress scores ranged from 2 to 33 and depression scores were 0 to 31. Overall, the daily accumulated amount of self-reported total physical activity was two hours, with 0.7 hours of device-assessed moderate to vigorous activity. Participants reported approximately 4.7 hours of total screen time and slept nine hours per night.

Teens with a higher cumulative exposure to screen time, especially cell phone use, from childhood were more likely to have higher stress levels and depression symptoms. However, adolescents who engaged in more physical activity over the eight-year follow-up period reported lower levels of stress and depression.

Results align with previous research that demonstrated self-reported physical activity during childhood and adolescence was inversely associated with mental health symptoms.

Investigators noted that including a population-based, well-characterized sample of children followed for a significant duration strengthened the findings, as did the comprehensive methods used to measure physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet quality, sleep and mental health factors. Additionally, they used both self-reports to understand the behavioral context of activity and a wearable device to determine the intensity of exercise.

However, the relatively small group and missing data limited the statistical power of results. Additionally, the six-year period between follow-up assessments made it difficult to capture any fluctuations in behaviors over that time. Investigators did not include social and individual variables, specific exercise characteristics and the content viewed.

Some data suggest exposure to social media is linked to mental health problems. However, social media platforms have significantly changed since the end of the follow-up period (2017), so investigators suggest interpreting results cautiously in that regard.

“Society as a whole — from families to policy makers — must invest in promoting healthy lifestyles for children and adolescents by ensuring balanced screen time, sufficient physical activity, adequate sleep and a nutritious diet,” Haapala concluded.