Henry K Onyeaka1, Chioma Muoghalu2, Philip Baiden3, Lucinda Okine4, Hannah S Szlyk5, JaNiene E Peoples6, Erin Kasson5, M S W Patricia Cavazos-Rehg5, Joseph Firth7, John Torous8. 1. Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA 02115, USA; McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA 02478, USA. 2. Plains Regional Medical Center, Clovis, NM 88101, USA; Duke University School of Medicine, NC 27710, USA. 3. The University of Texas at Arlington, School of Social Work, 211 S. Cooper St., Box 19129, Arlington, TX 76019, USA. Electronic address: philip.baiden@uta.edu. 4. University of Southern California, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, 669 W 34th St. Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. 5. Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. 6. The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. 7. Division of Psychology and Mental Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. 8. Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The widespread use of digital media by young people has generated speculations that their excessive use may have deleterious cognitive effects. Previous studies examining the association between screen time and cognitive deficits in youth have yielded mixed conclusions. We study this association using a nationally representative sample of school going adolescents in the United States. METHODS: We queried data from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 17,076 adolescents was analyzed using binary logistic regression. Outcome variable was cognitive difficulties (difficulty in concentrating, remembering, or making decisions), and the explanatory variable was excessive screen-time behaviors. RESULTS: Of the 17,076 adolescents, about one in three (34.1%) had cognitive difficulties, and 45% of adolescents engaged in excessive screen-time behaviors on an average school day. After adjusting for covariates, the odds were 1.28 times higher for adolescents who engaged in excessive screen-time behaviors to report serious cognitive difficulties compared to adolescents who did not engage in excessive screen-time behaviors (AOR = 1.28, p < .001, 95% CI = 1.18-1.40). CONCLUSION: Study results support the association between excessive screen behaviors and cognitive difficulties in adolescence. Findings of this study are discussed with implications for practice and research.
BACKGROUND: The widespread use of digital media by young people has generated speculations that their excessive use may have deleterious cognitive effects. Previous studies examining the association between screen time and cognitive deficits in youth have yielded mixed conclusions. We study this association using a nationally representative sample of school going adolescents in the United States. METHODS: We queried data from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 17,076 adolescents was analyzed using binary logistic regression. Outcome variable was cognitive difficulties (difficulty in concentrating, remembering, or making decisions), and the explanatory variable was excessive screen-time behaviors. RESULTS: Of the 17,076 adolescents, about one in three (34.1%) had cognitive difficulties, and 45% of adolescents engaged in excessive screen-time behaviors on an average school day. After adjusting for covariates, the odds were 1.28 times higher for adolescents who engaged in excessive screen-time behaviors to report serious cognitive difficulties compared to adolescents who did not engage in excessive screen-time behaviors (AOR = 1.28, p < .001, 95% CI = 1.18-1.40). CONCLUSION: Study results support the association between excessive screen behaviors and cognitive difficulties in adolescence. Findings of this study are discussed with implications for practice and research.
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Authors: J Michael Underwood; Nancy Brener; Jemekia Thornton; William A Harris; Leah N Bryan; Shari L Shanklin; Nicholas Deputy; Alice M Roberts; Barbara Queen; David Chyen; Lisa Whittle; Connie Lim; Yoshimi Yamakawa; Michelle Leon-Nguyen; Greta Kilmer; Jennifer Smith-Grant; Zewditu Demissie; Sherry Everett Jones; Heather Clayton; Patricia Dittus Journal: MMWR Suppl Date: 2020-08-21