BETTER BALANCE
Research + Evidence
Smartphone and other digital media use are exposing young people to risks and replacing experiences that help youth achieve their full potential. SYNC is a movement designed to shift local norms from continuous scrolling to intentional technology use, creating connections rooted in belonging.
- Owning a smartphone before age 13 is linked to higher risk of depression, obesity, and poor sleep.[1]
- Nearly half of teens (48%) say social media platforms have a mostly negative effect on people their age.Teen girls are more likely than boys to say social media harms their mental health (25% vs. 14%), confidence (20% vs. 10%), and sleep (50% vs. 40%).[2]
- Two or more hours of daily screen use is linked to depression,[3] difficulties with peer interactions,[4] worse academic outcomes,[5],[6] impaired sleep quality,[7] and worse relationships with parents.[8]
- Parent media use is a strong predictor of child media use.[9]
To learn more about the evidence linking digital devices to mental health, explore these research summaries curated by Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development.
- Smartphone ownership, age of smartphone acquisition, and health outcomes in early adolescence
- Teens, Social Media and Mental Health
- Dose-response association of screen time-based sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents and depression: a meta-analysis of observational studies
- Associations of screen exposure with psychosocial problems in primary school students
- Screen time and standardized academic achievement tests in elementary school
- Electronic media use and academic performance in late childhood: a longitudinal study
- Sleep problems, sleep duration, and use of digital devices among primary school students in Japan
- Problematic media use among children up to the age of 10: A systematic literature review
- Associations between media parenting practices and early adolescent screen use