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Children who spend excessive time on screens are at greater risk of developing mood and behaviour problems, new ACU research has found.
The research shows that higher screen use in children could exacerbate aggression, anxiety, attention difficulties and depression which in turn drives them to screens as a coping mechanism.
Lead author Roberta Vasconcellos, a PhD candidate from ACU's Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, led a meta-analysis of 117 studies covering 292,000 children globally, making it one of the largest studies of its kind.
Published in Psychological Bulletin, it found children who experience social and emotional problems can often turn to screens to feel better and connect with peers.
Video gaming showed the strongest link for developing social emotional problems.
"School-aged children are particularly vulnerable," Mrs Vasconcellos said. "Risks of screen use increase as children grow older. Older children are more likely to exceed guidelines and rely on screens to manage their anxiety, hyperactivity and other emotional challenges."
The University of Queensland's Associate Professor Michael Noetel, who supervised the research, said excessive screen use of any kind can contribute to these problems if it takes time away from sleep, exercise, and face-to-face interactions.
"Our study shows screen use is a vicious cycle: we sometimes give children screens when they're struggling, but doing so seems to make them struggle more," he said.
"The problem is that screens get in the way of learning, sleep, play, and social connections that underpin healthy development.
"It's not about banning screens - it's about keeping an eye on their media diet. Use the parental controls on your TV or tablet to set reasonable limits on what they watch and how much. These make the rules consistent, which children find easier to follow.''
Mrs Vasconcellos encouraged parents to help children develop healthy and balanced habits.
"Cutting screen time alone may not help if a child is already struggling with feelings or showing problematic behaviour," she said.
"It is essential to support children in learning better ways to handle their emotions. Prioritising enough sleep, play and social time can reduce their reliance on screens to cope with tough emotions."
The research also stressed the need for an urgent review of screen time guidelines.
Parents and policymakers have long debated whether screens cause problems, or whether children with problems were simply drawn to screens.
"Our review shows it's both,'' Associate Professor Noetel said. "This is important because parents are often told they should cut down on screen time.
"If we only address one side of the equation - cutting down on screen time but overlooking anxiety or aggression that leads kids to screens - we risk leaving children stuck in a cycle."
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