Effect of Screen time on Mental Health of Teenagers: A Literature Review

Abstract

Mental health issues like anxiety, depression and lack of sleep are common problems nowadays in teenagers. According to research, multiple factors contribute to these issues screen time is one of them. The objectives of this research are to review available literature on the effect of screen time on mental health problems like anxiety, sleep disorders, and depression. This research will help teachers, parents and psychologists to know about how screen time affects mental health. All articles available on Google Scholar, PubMed and PsycINFO were studied by using the keywords anxiety, stress and depression, and lack of sleep. Twenty-seven studies from 2017-2025 were included; only the time length on different types of screens is studied; content is excluded from this research.   Thematic Analysis for the association and correlation of screen time with mental health was done. The results showed a significant association between screen time and sleep disorder, anxiety and depression.  The female adolescents are more affected than the males. The causes of depression need to be investigated.