Private screen access in early adolescence predicts subsequent academic and social impairment at the end of high school for boys and girls

TL;DR

Having screens in their bedrooms at age 12 predicts worse academic and social outcomes for teens by age 17, regardless of gender.

Contribution

This study shows that bedroom screen access in early adolescence is a strong predictor of later academic and social impairment.

Findings

Bedroom screens at age 12 predicted lower grades and higher dropout risk at age 17 for both boys and girls.

Having a bedroom screen was linked to lower prosocial behavior in boys at age 17.

Private screen access in adolescence was associated with reduced likelihood of dating relationships by age 17.

Abstract

Youth media guidelines in Canada and the United States recommend that bedrooms should remain screen-free zones. This study aims to verify whether bedroom screens at age 12 years prospectively predict academic and social impairment by age 17years.

Participants were from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development birth cohort (661 girls and 686 boys). Linear regression analyses estimated associations between having a bedroom screen (television or computer) at age 12 years and self-reported overall grades, dropout risk, prosocial behaviour and likelihood of having experienced a dating relationship in the past 12 months at age 17 years, while adjusting for potential individual and family confounding factors.

For both girls and boys, bedroom screens at age 12 years predicted lower overall grades (B=−2.41, p≤0.001 for boys; −1.61, p≤0.05 for girls), higher dropout risk (B=0.16, p≤0.001 for boys; 0.17, p≤0.001 for girls) and lower likelihood of having experienced a dating relationship (B=−0.13, p≤0.001 for boys; −0.18, p≤0.001 for girls) at age 17. Bedroom screens also predicted lower levels of prosocial behaviour (B=−0.52, p≤0.001) at age 17 years for boys.

The bedroom as an early adolescent screen-based zone does not predict long-term positive health and well-being. Pediatric recommendations to parents and youth should be more resolute about bedrooms being screen-free zones and about unlimited access in private exposures in childhood.

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