When screen time helps, hurts, and has no effect on adolescent well-being

Technology permeates daily life. During adolescence, screen time may limit time that could be spent on activities from sports to sleep. Studies often examine screen time in isolation, overlooking that time use is relative—more screen time results in less time available elsewhere. Drawing on a representative birth cohort of 2,539 U.K. adolescents, we examined how tradeoffs in screen time versus other activities are linked to adolescent well-being. Replacing activities like active time, physical activity, or sleep with screen time was associated with worse outcomes, and some effects held three years later. However, screen time was beneficial compared to passive time. Our approach accounts for the inherent tradeoffs of screen time, pinpointing when screen time can be harmful, helpful, or neutral for adolescents to lead a satisfying life.