JOURNAL OF THE CZECH PEDIATRIC SOCIETY AND THE SLOVAK PEDIATRIC SOCIETY

Čes-slov Pediat 2026, 81(4):199-204 | DOI: 10.55095/CSPediatrie2026/032

The impact of screen time on brain development and mental health in the context of current international recommendations

Tomáš Skřont, Jan Uhlíř
Psychiatrická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice Ostrava, Ostrava
Katedra klinických neurověd, Lékařská fakulta, Ostravská univerzita, Ostrava

This article provides a basic overview of current evidence on the associations between screen time and children's neurodevelopment as well as their cognitive, social, and emotional-behavioral functioning, including impacts on mental health. It also discusses factors that may modify these associations (e.g., the child's age, content type, parenting approaches, sleep, and physical activity). In this

context, it presents current international recommendations on children's use of digital technologies, with the aim of opening a discussion on developing Czech guidelines.

Keywords: screen time, digital media, children and adolescents, neurodevelopment, cognitive development, mental health, social and emotional-behavioral development, guidelines

Received: March 10, 2026; Revised: May 12, 2026; Accepted: May 13, 2026; Published: June 1, 2026  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Skřont T, Uhlíř J. The impact of screen time on brain development and mental health in the context of current international recommendations. Ces-slov Pediat. 2026;81(4):199-204. doi: 10.55095/CSPediatrie2026/032.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Radesky JS, Christakis DA. Increased screen time: implications for early childhood development and behavior. Pediatr Clin North Am 2016; 63(5): 827-39. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. McArthur BA, Volkova V, Tomopoulos S, Madigan S. Global prevalence of meeting screen time guidelines among children 5 years and younger: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr 2022; 176(4): 373. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Kalkim A, Konal Korkmaz E, Uysal Toraman A. Examining the relationship between digital parenting self-efficacy and digital parenting awareness of early adolescents' parents. J Pediatr Nurs 2024; 78: 1-6. Go to original source...
    4. Slussareff M, Lukavská K. Technologie a děti: současná doporučení pro pediatry. Pediatrie pro praxi 2021; 22(2): 117-20. Go to original source...
    5. Kucirkova N. iPads in early education: separating assumptions and evidence. Front Psychol 2014; 5: 715. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Liu J, Riesch S, Tien J, et al. Screen media overuse and associated physical, cognitive, and emotional/behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents: an integrative review. J Pediatr Health Care 2021; 36(2): 99. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Mallawaarachchi S, Burley J, Mavilidi M, et al. Early childhood screen use contexts and cognitive and psychosocial outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr 2024; 178(10): 1017-26. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Kong F, Meng S, Deng H, et al. Cognitive control in adolescents and young adults with media multitasking experience: a three-level meta-analysis. Educ Psychol Rev 2023; 35(1): 22. Go to original source...
    9. Swider-Cios E, Vermeij A, Sitskoorn MM. Young children and screen-based media: the impact on cognitive and socioemotional development and the importance of parental mediation. Cogn Dev 2023; 66: 101319. Go to original source...
    10. Pagani LS, Fitzpatrick C, Barnett TA, Dubow E. Prospective associations between early childhood television exposure and academic, psychosocial, and physical well-being by middle childhood. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2010; 164(5): 425-31. Go to original source...
    11. Muppalla SK, Vuppalapati S, Pulliahgaru AR, Sreenivasulu H. Effects of excessive screen time on child development: an updated review and strategies for management. Cureus 2023; 15(6): e40608. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Slussareff M. Obrazovky v dětském věku: vliv na spánek, učení a pozornost. Zásady pro zdravé způsoby užívání. Pediatrie pro praxi 2019; 20(1): 19-23. Go to original source...
    13. Ponti M, Bélanger S, Grimes R, et al. Screen time and young children: promoting health and development in a digital world. Paediatr Child Health 2017; 22(8): 461. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Mustonen R, Torppa R, Stolt S. Screen time of preschool-aged children and their mothers, and children's language development. Children 2022; 9(10): 1577. Go to original source...
    15. Vohr BR, McGowan EC, Bann C, et al. Association of high screen-time use with school-age cognitive, executive function, and behavior outcomes in extremely preterm children. JAMA Pediatr 2021; 175(10): 1025-34. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Paulus MP, Zhao Y, Potenza MN, et al. Screen media activity in youth: a critical review of mental health and neuroscience findings. J Mood Anxiety Disord 2023; 3: 100018. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Francisquini MCJ, de Souza Silva TM, dos Santos GC, et al. Associations of screen time with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents. Rev Paul Pediatr 2024; 43: e2023250. Go to original source...
    18. Lissak G. Adverse physiological and psychological effects of screen time on children and adolescents: literature review and case study. Environ Res 2018; 164: 149-57. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. McDaniel BT, Radesky JS. Technoference: longitudinal associations between parent technology use, parenting stress, and child behavior problems. Pediatr Res 2018; 84(2): 210-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Hutton JS, Dudley J, Horowitz-Kraus T, et al. Associations between screen-based media use and brain white matter integrity in preschool-aged children. JAMA Pediatr 2020; 174(1). Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Madigan S, Browne D, Racine N, et al. Association between screen time and children's performance on a developmental screening test. JAMA Pediatr 2019; 173(3): 244-50. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Shou Q, Yamashita M, Mizuno Y. Association of screen time with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and their development: the mediating role of brain structure. Transl Psychiatry 2025; 15(1): 447. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Santos JPL, Soehner AM, Biernesser CL, et al. Role of sleep and white matter in the link between screen time and depression in childhood and early adolescence. JAMA Pediatr 2025; 179(9): 1000-8. Go to original source...
    24. Kim SH, Baik SH, Park CS, et al. Reduced striatal dopamine D2 receptors in people with Internet addiction. Neuroreport 2011; 22(8): 407-11. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Niu X, Gao X, Zhang M, et al. Meta-analysis of structural and functional brain alterations in internet gaming disorder. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13: 1029344. Go to original source...
    26. Keles B, McCrae N, Grealish A. A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. Int J Adolesc Youth 2020; 25(1): 79-93. Go to original source...
    27. Physical activity and exercise guidelines for all Australians. Dostupné na: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians [cit. 2026-02-28].
    28. Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children under 5 Years of Age. Geneva: World Health Organization 2019.
    29. Munzer T, Parga-Belinkie J, Milkovich LM, et al. Digital ecosystems, children, and adolescents: policy statement. Pediatrics 2026; 157(2). Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Kartousova B, Matzová Z, Soltysova M, et al. Odporúčania na zdravé používanie obrazovkových médií u detí a adolescentov Slovensko 2025. Slovensko 2025.
    31. Screen time and children. Dostupné na: https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV-054.aspx [cit. 2026-02-27].
    32. Fitzpatrick C, Cristini E, Bernard JY, Garon-Carrier G. Meeting preschool screen time recommendations: which parental strategies matter? Front Psychol 2023; 14: 1287396. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    33. Rico-González M, Holsbrekken E, Martín-Moya R, Ardigò LP. Interventions for reducing screen time of preschoolers: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Prim Care Community Health 2025; 16. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    34. Wu Y, Xi X, Zhang C, et al. Effect of intervention on screen time in preschoolers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Public Health 2025; 25(1): 2724. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    35. Sandberg H, Sjöberg U, Sundin E. Parental voices on screen time guidelines in early childhood. Barn - forskning om barn og barndom i Norden 2024; 42(3-4). Go to original source...
    36. Griffith SF, Hart KC, Casanova SM, et al. Promoting healthy screen media use in young children with externalizing behavior problems through an adapted parenting intervention: results of an open trial. Cogn Behav Pract 2025; 32(3): 430-42. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content