The association of screen time and the risk of sleep outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Introduction: Screen time has become increasingly prevalent in modern life and may influence various health outcomes, including sleep patterns. Previous meta-analyses examining the relationship between screen time and sleep have been limited by incomplete population coverage and insufficient consideration of potential effect modifiers. To address these gaps, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to investigate the association between screen time and sleep outcomes across diverse populations.
Methods: Two independent reviewers screened studies and extracted data following a pre-registered protocol. Standardized coefficients (β) and odds ratios (OR) were used to quantify effect sizes. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted using STATA 17.0, with subgroup analyses performed to explore effect modifiers.
Results: We included 21 cohort studies with 548,338 participants. Each additional hour of daily screen time was associated with approximately 3 to 5 minutes shorter total sleep duration (β = -0.05, 95% CI: -0.08 to -0.03) in 11 studies reporting continuous outcomes, and with a higher risk of short sleep in nine studies reporting binary outcomes (OR = 1.25, 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.40). Subgroup analyses found no significant effect modification by age, region, short sleep definition or follow-up duration (all P interaction > 0.05). However, for binary outcomes, the association between screen time and short sleep differed significantly across countries (P interaction = 0.004).…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 548,338 participants or records.
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