Exploring the Effects of Screen Time on Adolescents’ Sleep Quality and School Performance

In this narrative review, we examine the recent literature about the effects of screen time onsleep quality and academic performance during adolescence. With the growing use of digitalmedia, particularly after COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents are spending almost 8-10 hoursin front of screens every day. Research has shown that increased screen time, particularlybefore bedtime, disrupts sleep quality, amount of sleep and circadian rhythms. Thedisruption of sleep, in turn, can influence attention, memory and learning, which is directlyassociated with academic performance. Furthermore, unregulated and excessive screen timelimits the time for other activities such as homework, sports, social activities. Existingresearch has some limitations, such as mostly depending on surveys and self-report data, notusing experimental methods and not focusing on digital media content. This reviewhighlights the importance of using screens in a healthy and responsible way and the need forfuture studies to explore how different types of screen activities (e.g., short videos, games,social media, online learning) affect adolescents over time.