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| Screentime | |
|---|---|
| Name | Screentime |
| Type | Independent concept |
| Founded | 20th century (popularized) |
| Area served | Global |
| Industry | Media, Technology, Health |
Screentime is the colloquial term for the amount of time an individual spends using devices with electronic displays such as smartphones, tablets, televisions, and computers. It has become a focal point across public health, pediatrics, psychiatry, education, and technology policy debates involving stakeholders from the World Health Organization to companies like Apple Inc. and Google LLC. Researchers from institutions such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University have studied associations between device exposure and outcomes ranging from sleep disruption to attention differences.
Definitions vary across literature published by American Academy of Pediatrics, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the World Health Organization. Terms related to exposure include "screen exposure", "digital media use", "device-based media", and "interactive media", which appear in reports from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and European Commission. Clinical guidelines from American Psychiatric Association and position statements by Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists adopt different cutoffs for "excessive use" linked to frameworks used by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders discussions. Policy documents from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and research agendas at National Health Service (England) further refine terminology in cross-disciplinary studies.
Measurement approaches appear in publications by Pew Research Center, Statista, International Telecommunication Union, and methodologists at University College London. Common metrics include "hours per day", "sessions per day", "screen-on time", "active use", and "passive exposure", as operationalized in studies from Columbia University, Yale University, and University of California, Berkeley. Objective logging tools from Fitbit Inc., Samsung Electronics, and apps by RescueTime contrast with self-report surveys used by Gallup and longitudinal cohorts like Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study and Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Data harmonization efforts involve consortia including European Research Council-funded teams and projects at Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-supported centers.
Epidemiological and experimental studies from McMaster University, University of Toronto, Karolinska Institutet, and Massachusetts General Hospital examine links to sleep, mental health, vision, and physical activity. Meta-analyses in journals associated with The Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, and Nature Medicine evaluate associations between device exposure and depressive symptoms, anxiety, obesity, and myopia, with conflicting effect sizes reported by authors at University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, and University of Auckland. Sleep research intersects with laboratories at National Sleep Foundation and chronobiology groups at Max Planck Society, while ophthalmology studies involve networks from Moorfields Eye Hospital and American Academy of Ophthalmology. Randomized trials by teams at University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan test screen-reduction interventions, and neuroimaging work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Cambridge explores functional connectivity differences.
Developmental pediatrics and education research cite cohorts from Boston Children's Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and University of Hong Kong examine effects on language, executive function, and literacy, with classroom technology initiatives evaluated by Khan Academy, Sesame Workshop, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation education programs. Meta-analyses by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development researchers and reports from UNICEF address equity in access and outcomes, while pedagogical studies at University of London Institute of Education and Carnegie Mellon University assess interactive media versus passive viewing.
Usage patterns vary by age, region, and socioeconomic status, documented in surveys from Pew Research Center, Eurostat, Australian Bureau of Statistics, and national agencies like Statistics Canada. Device adoption histories reference companies such as Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics, Microsoft Corporation, and Sony Corporation. Cross-cultural studies involve research centers at Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Cape Town, and Federal University of São Paulo, while longitudinal demographic analyses use data from Health and Retirement Study and National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Market analyses by Nielsen Holdings and Gartner, Inc. inform patterns of television, streaming, and mobile use.
Governmental and professional guidance includes statements from World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, and national agencies such as Public Health England, Health Canada, and Australian Department of Health. Regulatory discussions intersect with agencies Federal Communications Commission, European Commission, and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on privacy and advertising targeted at children, involving companies like Facebook, Inc./Meta Platforms, Inc. and YouTube (Google) policy teams. Legal approaches reference legislation such as the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and frameworks from General Data Protection Regulation discussions. Recommendations are debated in policy fora at OECD, G7, and professional societies including American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Interventions include parental controls developed by Apple Inc., Google LLC, and third parties like Qustodio, along with behavioral programs tested by teams at University of Pennsylvania, University of Oxford, and King's College London. School-based programs by Room to Read and Teach For America adapt digital literacy curricula, while clinical interventions involve practitioners at Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic. Public health campaigns have been launched by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Health Service (England), and nonprofits such as Common Sense Media and Child Mind Institute. Technology design proposals from Mozilla Foundation and research labs at Carnegie Mellon University suggest defaults and nudges to reduce passive exposure.
Category:Media impact studies