The impact of social media and excessive screen time on the mental well-being and sleep patterns of school-aged children: a cross-sectional multi-stage cluster study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20262423Keywords:
Child, Cross-sectional studies, Mental health, Screen time, Sleep, Social mediaAbstract
Background: The present study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of excessive screen time and social media use, and to evaluate their association with mental well-being and sleep patterns among school-aged children.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 672 children aged 8–14 years, selected through multistage random sampling from government and private schools in South India over a four-month period (June to Sep 2024). A pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used to collect data and patterns of screen-based device use and social media use. Mental well-being was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and sleep patterns using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Data were analysed using SPSS 26.0 version.
Results: The mean age of participants was 11.2±1.8 years (51.8% boys). High screen time (>4 h/day) was reported in 212 children (31.5%), and 486 (72.3%) were active social media users, YouTube (89.1%) and WhatsApp (62.3%). Mean SDQ was (9.8±4.2, 13.6±5.1, and 18.9±6.3 respectively; p<0.001), and the proportion with abnormal SDQ scores (≥20) increased from 6.3% to 38.7% (p<0.001). Sleep duration declined from 9.4±0.8 to 7.3±1.1 hours/night (p<0.001), while CSHQ total scores rose from 38.2±5.6 to 52.3±7.9 (p<0.001) across the same groups. Screen time correlated positively with SDQ score (r=0.42, p<0.001) and CSHQ score (r=0.51, p<0.001), and negatively with sleep duration (r=−0.46, p<0.001).
Conclusions: Excessive screen time and social media use are significantly and independently associated with poorer psychological well-being and disturbed sleep among school-aged children. Structured screen-time guidance, parental mediation, and school-based digital wellness programmes are warranted.
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