The rapid rise in internet access and smartphone use has significantly changed how children and adolescents engage in screen-based activities. To date, no systematic review has examined long-term trends in screen time use among children and adolescents that cover periods before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic review examined repeated cross-sectional studies to determine whether screen time use among children and adolescents changed over time. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021243869). The Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed studies that had been published in English, included data from at least two time points, and focused on children and adolescents between 0 and 19 years of age. The search was conducted without any restrictions on publication year. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Study quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs. A narrative synthesis was conducted following the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis guidelines. This review identified 60 studies covering the period 1991-2022. The findings indicate that traditional TV watching declined while the use of computers and video games grew. Screen time increased significantly over the years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic started. The studies reviewed varied in how they defined and measured screen time. The review underscores the importance of continued research and evidence-based policies to guide responsible technology use in the lives of young people.
Keywords: adolescent; child; repeated cross-sectional studies; screen time; systematic review; time-trend.
The rapid spread of internet access and smartphones has changed how children and adolescents use digital technologies in their everyday lives. This systematic review looked at 60 studies from around the world to understand how screen time has changed over time from 1991 to 2022, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, screen use was increasing gradually, with traditional TV watching decreasing while computer use, video gaming, and mobile phone use grew. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharper rise in screen time as children and teenagers relied on screens for school, social interactions, and entertainment during lockdowns. Studies showed that both boys and girls spent more time on screens, though boys tended to spend more time gaming. Younger children generally spent less time on screens than older children, and children from higher-income families often spent slightly less time on screens, although the pandemic increased their screen use too. The review also highlighted that studies measure screen time in different ways, making it hard to compare results. Most studies focused on how long children spent on screens, but few looked at what they were actually doing online. While technology provides benefits like learning, social connection, and creativity, excessive screen time can be linked to problems such as poor sleep, lower physical activity, weight gain, mental health challenges, and exposure to harmful online content. The review concludes that screen time among children and teenagers has generally increased over the past decades, especially after the pandemic started. It recommends that parents, schools, and communities guide young people to use technology in a balanced and safe way, combining digital skills with physical activity, sleep, and offline experiences. Future research should explore not just how much time children spend on screens, but also the type and quality of screen activities.