The association between screen time and cognitive function in children: The partially mediating role of putamen volume.

Association between the urban environment, parents' related concerns and perceptions, and childhood obesity and lifestyle in Barcelona, Spain.

Past studies of hepatitis B vaccines in people with HIV (PWH) have shown mixed results about improving responses with increases in dose or dose frequency, leading to inconsistent guidelines and practice. We examined vaccine series completion and revaccinations in PWH lacking a seroprotective response. Hepatitis B vaccination histories were evaluated as a retrospective study in 561 participants of A5379 trial (NCT04193189). Individuals in 41 sites in Africa, Asia, South America, and the United States qualified for the trial with antibody titers below the seroprotective level (<10 mIU/mL) despite past hepatitis B vaccinations. The primary measure of interest was the number of vaccines in the past vaccination records. Of the 1098 trial candidates, 561 (51%) did not have seroprotective titers at the time of screening and enrolled in A5379. Median age at the time of screening was 46 years (18-70 years), which varied across the regions: the lowest in Africa and the highest in the United States. The number of past hepatitis B vaccines varied widely across and within geographic regions. Twenty-four percent of the participants received ≥4 doses, up to 12, yet did not have seroprotective antibody titers. Regardless of past vaccine records, antibody titers should be checked in PWH for revaccination needs. The recently approved long-acting and injectable antiretroviral treatment (ART) lacks protective effect against HBV, unlike tenofovir-based ART. As the long-acting ART becomes more widely used, we recommend reassessing serologies and offering the recommended CpG-adjuvanted vaccine series with promising response durability to individuals without seroprotection.

Screen time: Forward-facing sonar changes angler behavior and increases fish capture length, but decreases catch rates for smallmouth bass in a randomized controlled experiment

The indirect role of children’s screen time and the moderating role of problematic parental screen use on the relationships between different parental mediation strategies and preschoolers’ developmental outcomes

To evaluate the impact of anti-islet antibody (IAb) screening on the general population and first-degree relatives (FDRs)/high-risk individuals and evidence-based follow-up modalities. We performed this review through systematic searches of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform between 15 March 2006, and 15 March 2025. We selected studies on children and adolescents screened for T1D IAbs, compared with people who were not screened or IAb+ individuals who were not followed up. PICOS framework was used in the selection process. Outcome data were extracted, and a meta-analysis of DKA risk at T1D onset was performed. Quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42024523781. Sixty-six studies, 53 of moderate-to-high quality, were included. Screening was associated with lower DKA rates by 23% (95% CI 18-29%, I2 = 88.8%). The risk of stage 3 T1D progression was high in younger children with persistent and/or multiple IAb+. Screening was associated with higher indicators of parental anxiety, which decreased during follow-up. Children with IAb positivity were monitored according to age and T1D stage, using HbA1c, oral glucose tolerance testing and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Time above 140 mg/dL was a biomarker of progression. Population screening with IAbs and follow-up of IAb+ individuals helps decrease DKA and allows participation in intervention trials. This systematic review provides evidence for clinical practice on the screening timing, modalities and follow-up. Further studies on the use of CGM are expected.

Screens and strategies: Testing interventions for adolescents‘ digital self-regulation competence

Early childhood is an important phase for optimizing 24-h cycle behaviours (sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity) to support physical, social-emotional and cognitive health. While research often focuses on centre-based childcare, about 25% of US children under 5 attend home-based family childcare. Family childcare settings may face inequities in educational, financial, and resource support needed for health-related practices. Furthermore, limited studies have addressed daytime sleep health in such settings. Thus, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to (1) identify physical activity and sleep behaviours of family childcare providers, (2) determine the provider knowledge and perceptions and childcare practices relating to children's 24-h movement behaviours and (3) explore relations between these factors. Adult family childcare providers of western Massachusetts (N = 84, 85.7% female; age = 43.5 ± 10.8 years, 14.3% Hispanic) completed a semistructured online questionnaire. In addition to demographic and childcare practice information, quantitative sleep and movement behaviour variables included provider behaviours, provider knowledge and perceptions of child behaviours and childcare practices and policies. Open-text responses were analysed qualitatively. Most participants reported moderate physical activity levels and 'fairly good' sleep quality, although knowledge of child movement and sleep guidelines varied widely. Higher provider income, age and knowledge were significantly associated with more recommended practices for promoting nap sleep, screen time and physical activity in childcare settings. Gaps in knowledge and inconsistent practices suggest key opportunities for targeted interventions. Enhancing provider education and addressing environmental barriers may support the implementation of evidence-based strategies to promote healthy movement and sleep behaviours in these underresourced settings.

This study investigates how self-efficacy, psychological resilience, social anxiety, and digital addiction interact among university students in today's digital context. A cross-sectional design was applied to 511 undergraduates from three public universities in Turkey using structural equation modeling (SEM). Measures included the general self-efficacy, psychological resilience, social anxiety, and digital addiction scales. Results show that self-efficacy and psychological resilience significantly and negatively predict both social anxiety and digital addiction. Students with stronger beliefs in their capabilities and greater resilience cope more effectively with stress and are less prone to problematic technology use. In contrast, social anxiety positively predicts digital addiction: students experiencing higher social anxiety tend to avoid face-to-face interactions and turn to online settings, heightening addiction risk. Mediation analyses indicate that social anxiety partially mediates the links between self-efficacy, psychological resilience, and digital addiction. The proposed model explains 22% of the variance in social anxiety and 28% in digital addiction. Conceptually, the findings underscore that digital addiction extends beyond "screen time," reflecting deeper emotional needs, self-regulation capacities, and social avoidance tendencies. Practically, the study supports university-level awareness programs, stress management, and digital literacy training to foster self-efficacy and resilience. Additionally, cognitive-behavioral and emotion-focused interventions aimed at reducing social anxiety may help prevent digital addiction. Overall, the study provides an evidence-based foundation for holistic interventions that promote young adults' psychological well-being in the digital era.

This study investigated the correlation between excessive exposure to digital media in the formative years and how children respond to the schooling environment in Nigeria. This study employed the correlational research design. The study sample involved 150 primary school pupils. The instrument for the study “digital media usage, types of digital media, and response” was used for data collection. The research questions were answered with Pearson product moment correlation, while hypotheses were tested with linear regression. The study revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between digital media use and how children respond to the schooling environment in Nigeria, as well as a positive relationship between the type of digital media use and how children respond to the schooling environment in Nigeria. Founded on the findings, the study recommended that parents should encourage a healthy mix of activities. Limit screen time, designate media-free zones, and promote activities like reading, outdoor play, and face-to-face socializing; schools should integrate technology strategically to enhance classroom learning. Explore educational apps, games, and online resources suitable to different learning styles. The government should consider developing age-appropriate guidelines for healthy digital media utilization in partnership with educators, parents, and health professionals.

Association between digital parenting behaviors and technology addiction in 24- to 36-month-old children: A cross-sectional study.

The increasing integration of digital technologies into daily life has significantly altered student behavior, giving rise to concerns about screen time addiction. This review article presents findings from a survey conducted among 1,200 students to assess patterns, causes, and consequences of excessive screen use. Results show that 70.8% of students primarily use digital devices for social media, followed by 25% for entertainment, 2.5% for academic purposes, and 0.8% each for gaming and online shopping. Device preference patterns revealed that 52% regularly use smartphones, 20.3% laptops, 15.5% TV or gaming consoles, and 12.3% smartwatches. Daily screen time was reported as 4–6 hours by 56.3% of students, 6–8 hours by 19.4%, 2-4 hours by 16.2%, over 8 hours by 4.2%, and less than 2 hours by only 4%. Notably, 70.4% of respondents often felt anxious or restless without digital access, while 17.7% experienced it sometimes, 7.7% always, and 3.5% never. Despite awareness of the problem, 61.8% had unsuccessfully tried to reduce screen time. Alarmingly, 80.7% admitted to staying up late daily due to device use. Additionally, 65% of students reported difficulty concentrating without checking their phones, 84.5% used screens during meals or social settings, and 73.3% experienced sleep disturbances. Other reported health issues included eye strain (8.6%), neck/back pain (3.5%), and anxiety or irritability (3.3%). Most students (63.6%) slept for 4-6 hours, 32.3% for 6–8 hours, 2.2% for over 8 hours, and 2% for 4 hours or less. Alarmingly, 85.5% were unaware of the term "screen time addiction," and 96.9% did not consider it a serious issue. These findings highlight a significant behavioral health challenge in student communities, emphasizing the need for awareness campaigns, digital hygiene education, and institutional interventions to promote healthier screen habits.

Background: The rapid increase in gadget use among adolescents has raised concerns regarding its potential effects on emotional functioning and reproductive health. While previous studies have examined the relationship between screen time and mental health, limited evidence addresses how specific emotional subdomains relate to menstrual cycle patterns among adolescent girls. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the association between gadget use intensity and emotional subdomains, as well as their relationship with menstrual cycle patterns among adolescent girls. Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study was performed on 90 adolescent girls (15–17 years, selected through cluster random sampling from five senior high schools in Surabaya, Indonesia). Gadget intensity was grouped according to the daily duration of use. Emotional subdomains were evaluated by the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (PSC-17), which consists of internalizing, attention, and externalizing domains. Patterns of menstrual cycles were assessed using a three-month menstrual calendar. Data were analyzed using Fisher’s Exact test with a significance level of 0.05. Results: Over half of participants mentioned 4–8 hours per day in their gadget use (55.6%). 56.7% of respondents reported emotional problems, primarily in the internalizing domain. Among participants, 57.8% had irregular menstrual cycles. There was no relationship of gadget use intensity to overall emotional problems or menstrual cycle patterns (p &gt; 0.05). However, gadget use intensity was significantly associated with emotional difficulties (p = 0.020) in the attention subdomain. Conclusion: Intensity of gadget use was not related to general emotional problems or menstrual cycle patterns in adolescent girls. However, elevated gadget use demonstrated an association with attention-related emotional difficulties in adolescents, indicating that some emotional subdomains may be more sensitive to excessive gadget exposure. Interventions aimed at adolescent gadget use should therefore emphasize attention-related emotional regulation, rather than general emotional outcomes.

Over the past four decades, global childhood obesity rates have risen significantly. Modifiable factors such as diet, physical activity, family dynamics, and screen time play an important role in childhood obesity and are often targeted in interventions. However, no comprehensive review of instruments assessing these factors has been published, prompting this study. A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted to identify validated multidimensional lifestyle assessment instruments (defined as those assessing at least two constructs) for children aged 2-12years living with overweight or obesity. Four databases (Pubmed, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Embase) were searched for studies from 1980 to 2024. First, 7844 studies were screened by title and abstract by two independent reviewers. The resultant 141 full-text studies were also independently reviewed by 2 reviewers. Study quality was assessed and data on psychometric properties were extracted. Thirteen papers covering eight instruments were included: Healthy Kids (Niños Sanos), Family Health Behaviour Scale, Lifestyle Behaviour Checklist, Family Nutrition Physical Activity screening tool, Family Eating and Activity Habits Questionnaire, Home Environment Survey, Child Obesity Risk Questionnaire 2-5, and Energy Retention Behaviour Scale for Children. These instruments assessed various factors, including diet, mealtime routines, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, parental beliefs and the home environment. The instruments showed significant heterogeneity, with no single instrument covering the entire 2-12years age range or measuring the same constructs comprehensively. The quality of the reviewed studies varied, particularly in the range of psychometric properties examined. Based on the results of this review, there is no one measure shown to be validated specifically for children living with overweight/obesity that addresses a broad range of domains that respond to change over time.Level II: Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomisation.

Beyond Screen Time: A Narrative Review of Sensory Density in High Stimulation Cartoons and its Effect on Children’s Eating Behavior, Executive Function and Anger Issues

Abstract Sleep is fundamental to children’s development, yet many children experience insufficient sleep, with digital media use identified as a key contributing factor. While previous research has examined the relationship between digital screen time and sleep patterns, most studies have not investigated how different types of digital media use relate to distinct sleep trajectories, particularly in the context of widespread smartphone adoption among children. This study aimed to identify distinct patterns of sleep duration trajectories and examine how different types of digital screen time, especially smartphone use, relate to these patterns. Using data from the Korea Children and Youth Panel Survey ( N = 2607), we conducted latent class growth analysis to identify sleep duration trajectories among children from fourth to eighth grade (2018–2022). Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined how digital screen time and other factors were associated with trajectory membership. Three distinct sleep trajectory patterns emerged: high-decreasing (16.7%), mid-decreasing (78.2%), and low-decreasing (5.1%). All groups showed decreasing trajectories over time, but from different starting points and at different rates. Smartphone use showed the strongest association with trajectory membership, whereas television viewing and computer use showed relatively weaker associations. Female students and those reporting higher smartphone use were more likely to belong to groups with shorter sleep duration. Academic factors, particularly private tutoring time, were also significantly associated with membership in shorter sleep duration groups. These findings highlight a shift in how different types of digital media affect children’s sleep, with smartphone use now showing a stronger influence than traditional screen time activities. Our results provide crucial insights for parents, educators, and policymakers in promoting healthy sleep patterns among children in an increasingly digital world.

Rises in adolescent media use have paralleled increases in youth major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Studies linking screen time and decreased mental health focus on older adolescents and overlook media content. This study examined how frequency and content of media related to MDD and STBs in children and early adolescents enriched for psychopathology. Youth ages 8-12 ( N = 191; M age = 10.13) completed clinical interviews assessing MDD and STBs. They reported how frequently they engage with (a) different media formats, (b) media portraying different mature content, and (c) media centered on suicide. Greater self-reported media use, regardless of format, was associated with increased odds of MDD. Engagement with violent and substance-related themes was associated with increased odds of both MDD and STBs. Increased engagement with suicide-related content was specifically associated with STBs. Findings underscore the importance of considering content in addition to duration of media exposure.

Background: Lifestyles during childhood and adolescence play a critical role in neurodevelopment and mental health, as the developing brain is particularly sensitive to environmental and behavioral factors. Habits related to nutrition, physical activity, and electronic device use influence cognitive, emotional, and social functioning. Objective: This study aimed to analyze scientific evidence on the effects of dietary habits, screen time, and physical activity on neurodevelopment and mental health in children and adolescents. Material and methods: A narrative literature review was conducted using scientific publications from the last five years. Observational, longitudinal, and clinical studies, as well as national and international narrative and systematic reviews, were identified through database searches.

Screen time is among the major factors leading to the increasing cases of eye strain and other health problems in the world today. In this regard, there is the need to develop solutions to help address this problem. Hence, this research introduces Blinkora, an android-based smart system that helps to analyze and control excessive screen usage. The proposed system combines application usage analytics and face detection capabilities on-device for the effective tracking of user interaction. Using the built-in device camera, the system is capable of confirming the active participation of the user(s) on the screen. The Blinkora system uses Android Usage Stats APIs and simple image processing algorithms to perform application-level analytics and face detection respectively. Moreover, it calculates measures of exposure levels and addiction scores that measure dependency on screens. The entire process occurs on the device itself to achieve efficiency and guarantee privacy. Experiments conducted show that Blinkora efficiently merges the processes of monitoring, analyzing, and providing feedback to help increase user awareness. The presented method provides an effective solution that is both feasible and efficient for controlling screen usage and protecting one’s eyes from harm.

ABSTRACT Background: The growing prevalence of screen-based multimedia device use among young children has raised concerns about potential impacts on mental health. However, evidence regarding its association with psychiatric comorbidities in children and adolescents remains limited. This study aims to examine the relationship between screen time and psychiatric comorbidities in children aged 8–12 years. Aim: To investigate the association between screen time and psychiatric comorbidities in school-going preadolescents. Materials and Methods: Three hundred students from English-medium public schools in a metropolitan city were assessed using a sociodemographic proforma, screen time questionnaire, and the Child Behavior Checklist. Non-normally distributed quantitative variables were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Results: Among the 300 children aged 8–12 years, increased screen time was significantly associated with externalizing disorders, including ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder (all P &lt; 0.0001). Elevated screen use—particularly on weekends and in total daily duration—strongly correlated with these conditions. No significant associations were found with anxiety ( P = 0.624) or somatic symptoms ( P = 0.775); however, weekend screen time was significantly linked to depressive symptoms ( P = 0.006). Conclusion: Excessive screen time in preadolescents is linked to increased externalizing behaviors, such as ADHD and conduct disorders, while extended weekend viewing is associated with depressive symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring screen use and highlight the need for further research to understand these associations better.