Background: Substance abuse is one of the most significant global public health issues among youths. Electronic media has become a part of day-to-day life for all. This systematic review is undertaken to comprehensively explore the effect of electronic media on substance abuse among children and adolescents.
Methodology: Two review authors independently searched various electronic databases and other sources.
Selection criteria: Randomized control trials that assessed the effect of exposure of electronic media (defined as television, internet, gaming, mobile phones/phones, and radio) among participants in the age range of 5-19 years on substance abuse were included in the review.
Data collection and analysis: Two reviewers independently extracted data. We used an approach proposed by the Cochrane Collaboration. We used GRADE profiler to assess the overall quality of the evidence.
Main results: We retrieved 6003 studies and found 15 studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Since included studies differed in the type of intervention and reporting of outcomes, we did not undertake meta-analysis and choose to describe studies narratively. Quality of evidence was rated as "very low" due to too little information or too few data to be able to reach any conclusions.
Authors' conclusions: Clinicians, policymakers, and educators to partner with caregivers and youth to support electronic media use that promotes positive outcome in these areas.
Registration of systematic review: This systematic review has been registered at PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (Registration number: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018086935) available at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID = 86935.
Keywords: Adolescent; electronic media; substance abuse; systematic review.