Study Links High Screen Time to Sleep Issues and Depression in Teenage Girls

A recent study published in PLOS Global Public Health highlights the adverse effects of excessive screen time on sleep quality and mental health in adolescents, particularly among girls. Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found that prolonged exposure to screens significantly disrupts sleep patterns, which in turn is associated with increased symptoms of depression.

The study involved monitoring 4,810 Swedish students aged between 12 and 16 over the course of a year. Participants reported their screen time, sleep quality, and depressive symptoms at three distinct intervals. The findings indicate that higher screen usage correlates with poorer sleep quality and quantity, as well as a tendency to sleep later, thereby affecting the natural sleep-wake cycle.

While both boys and girls exhibited negative impacts on sleep due to excessive screen time, the relationship between screen use and depression manifested differently between genders. Among boys, the adverse effect on depression appeared directly after a year of increased screen usage. In contrast, for girls, the link between screen time and depression was largely mediated by sleep disturbances. This suggests that sleep issues could account for a significant portion of the connection between screen time and depressive symptoms in female adolescents.

The researchers noted that sleep quality explained between 38% and 57% of the association between screen time and depression in girls. They emphasize that reducing screen time may lead to healthier sleep practices, which could contribute to a decrease in depressive symptoms among young people. This aligns with the recent recommendations from the Swedish Public Health Agency, which advises limiting daily leisure screen time to two to three hours to foster better sleep health.

The authors of the study concluded that their findings advocate for public health policies aimed at reducing screen time among adolescents. Such measures could potentially alleviate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among youth, particularly in young women.