The Associations Between Screen Time and Mental Health in Adults: A Systematic Review

Screen time, represented by the daily time spent using digital technology on any screen devices, has been increasing. This review sought to expand understanding of the associations between screen time and mental health in adults. The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses - PRISMA and registered in Prospero under number CRD42022335373. Defined according to the PICO strategy (acronym for P: population/patients; I: intervention/exposure; C: comparison/control; O: outcome), a search was conducted in January 2023 with the following keywords: “screen time”, “adults” and “mental health” combined with the AND operator in PubMed, PsycInfo and Scopus databases. 1,695 articles were identified, and 90 papers were read in full, of which 32 were included in this review. There were 19 studies conducted before the COVID-19 Pandemic and 13 studies conducted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most studies found associations between excessive screen exposure and impact on aspects of mental health in adults. Before the pandemic, high screen times were associated with depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, and lower well-being. Watching TV was worse for mental health than computer or mobile device use. Replacing non-work time in a recent retirement with screen time is worse for mental health than replacing it with sleep or physical activity. Recreational screen time was associated with depression and screen time for schoolwork was not. During the pandemic, messaging app usage was associated with decreased feelings of loneliness. Screens and social media were associated risk of depression, anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out-FoMO. For in college adults, before and during the pandemic, depression and anxiety were associated with screen use, especially for leisure. In addition to the time spent on screens, the type of device with which we interact and the use of various devices simultaneously may be associated with mental health problems. Always-on mobile devices can increase interruptions to activities, weaken time management, and decrease the quality of time spent with children.