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As adolescents increasingly use screen-based devices to watch videos, text, use social media, videochat, and play games, health care professionals have grown concerned that excessive screen time could contribute to mental health problems (such as depression) in this population.

Excessive screen time may impact sleep duration and brain structural connectivity—such as white matter organization—which are critical for emotional health. As part of a Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Award, Pitt Psychiatry investigators including João Paulo Lima Santos, MD (Research Instructor in Psychiatry); Adriane Soehner, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry); Candice Biernesser, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry); Cecile Ladouceur, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology); and Amelia Versace, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), conducted a prospective study of data from  976 children ages 9-13 to improve our understanding of the association between screen time during late childhood (age 9-10) and the emergence of depressive symptoms in early adolescence (age 11-13). They additionally investigated whether these associations are mediated by sleep duration and white matter organization. Data was collected from the National Institutes of Health-funded Adolescent Behavior Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.

“Digital media brings both opportunities and risks. While its negative impacts are increasingly recognized, the mechanisms underlying these risks, particularly in relation to depression, remain poorly understood, limiting effective intervention. This is especially important during late childhood and early adolescence, when the brain is highly sensitive to environmental influences. Sleep, a key modifiable behavior crucial for brain development, is consistently impacted by digital media use and may play a central role in shaping mental health outcomes in this context. Understanding how sleep influences these risks allows us to move beyond simplistic solutions, such as eliminating digital media, toward strategies that foster healthier patterns of use,” said Dr. Lima Santos, lead author and principal investigator of the study recently published in JAMA Pediatrics.

The scientists found that more daily screen time in late childhood was associated with more depressive symptoms in early adolescence. In addition, short sleep and worse cingulum bundle coherence mediated these effects. Specifically, one hour of daily screen time was associated with shorter sleep, two hours with more depressive symptoms, and three hours with worse cingulum bundle organization.

“Our findings indicate that increased screen time in late childhood contributes to heightened depressive symptoms in early adolescence, with much of this effect mediated by shorter sleep duration and significant changes in brain white matter. Clinically, these results highlight the importance of sleep as an actionable and modifiable intervention target. Promoting healthy sleep routines and balanced screen use among young people may serve as effective strategies to reduce the risk of depression associated with excessive screen time,” said Dr. Versace, senior author of the study.

Role of Sleep and White Matter in the Link Between Screen Time and Depression in Childhood and Early Adolescence
Lima Santos JP, Soehner AM, Biernesser CL, Ladouceur CD, Versace A.
JAMA Pediatrics. 2025;179(9):1000–1008. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.1718