Mental health deteriorates among young people when screen time impairs stress management

4,793 high school students from Stockholm district schools, half of them boys and half of girls, participated in the study. Students answered the digital health questionnaire on three occasions throughout the year. Participants who spent more weekly hours in front of screen and online leisure activities reported higher levels of depression and less proactive coping. The study provided support for a specific series of events in which screen time affected problem-solving strategies over a three-month period, which in turn exacerbated the course of depression over the following nine months.

“The main message from this study is that screen time appears to reduce adolescents’ tendency to use problem-focused strategies to effectively manage perceived stress, which has been found to increase depression over time.” – He says Sebastian Huckby at NASP and is the corresponding author of the study.

The results are consistent with previous studies that reported that screen-related psychological problems often coincide with avoidant coping. Taken together, this suggests that adolescents may be using screens as an alternative to actively cope with stressful issues. At the societal level, the distracting properties of screens may have consequences in school and other contexts where problem-solving skills are paramount.

You can read more about the study results in the fact sheet Mental health deteriorates among young people when screen time impairs stress management.