The Association Between Daily Screen Time and Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Current Evidence and Potential Mechanisms
Abstract
In recent decades, the widespread adoption of digital devices has led to a dramatic increase in screen time among children, raising significant public health concerns. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between daily screen exposure and the rising prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity. Childhood overweight and obesity are established risk factors for children's mental health problems in the short term and for the occurrence and development of various chronic diseases in adulthood. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for observational and intervention studies published in English between 2005 and 2026, using combinations of the terms "screen time", "television", "video games", "social media", "children", "adolescents", "overweight", and "obesity". Mounting evidence suggests that prolonged engagement with screens whether through television, smartphones, tablets, or computers is associated with to an elevated risk of weight-related health issues in children. However, the strength and consistency of this association vary across age groups, screen modalities, and study designs, with much of the evidence deriving from observational research that precludes definitive causal inference. Our review evaluates existing literature, encompassing recent empirical findings, theoretical perspectives, and proposed mechanistic pathways underlying this association. Key factors under examination include sedentary behavior displacing…
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