Impact on adolescent mental health of replacing screen-use with exercise: A prospective cohort study

Association Between Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior With Depressive Symptoms Among US High School Students, 2019

“…Universal prevention interventions could focus on educating students on the mental health benefits of physical activity and providing resources for students who are interested in team-based physical activity ( 37 ). Other interventions could be improved by integrating research about the social contexts that foster problematic sedentary and dietary behaviors, such as engagement with online content that promotes body dysmorphia and harmful gender norms ( 38 , 39 ). In addition, the associations between depressive symptoms and substance use and behaviors contributing to violence warrant continued attention in public health interventions for adolescents ( 40 , 41 ).…”

“…Since high school is a crucial time for establishing healthy behaviors, school-based interventions should continue to focus on physical activity and sedentary behavior as ways to improve both physical and mental well-being (35,36). Universal prevention interventions could focus on educating students on the mental health benefits of physical activity and providing resources for students who are interested in team-based physical activity (37). Other interventions could be improved by integrating research about the social contexts that foster problematic sedentary and dietary behaviors, such as engagement with online content that promotes body dysmorphia and harmful gender norms (38,39).…”

The association of physical activity, sleep, and screen time with mental health in Canadian adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal isotemporal substitution analysis

“…As a result of this data censoring approach and the lack of confidence in the mutually exclusive nature of reported screen time ( Jago, Sebire, Gorely, Cillero, & Biddle, 2011 ; Thomas et al, 2022 ), isotemporal models attempting to distinguish the effects of replacing different screen behaviours were not conducted and we chose to align the analysis of screen time to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for children and youth ( Tremblay et al, 2016 ) which currently does not distinguish between active or passive activities. However, an emerging interest in screen time and sedentary behaviour research is the differentiation between cognitively or socially active screen use and passive screen use or sedentary behaviours which appear to have differential and diverse associations with mental health outcomes in children and youth ( Hallgren et al, 2020 ; Kandola, Owen, Dunstan, & Hallgren, 2021 , 2022 ; Sweetser, Johnson, Ozdowska, & Wyeth, 2012 ). Given the widespread reports of greater screen use ( Paterson et al, 2021 ) and public health recommendations to engage in online social interactions with friends and family outside of the household during the early COVID-19 outbreak, data that can differentiate the mental health effects between various screen use and sedentary behaviours would be beneficial, but may require a more extensive list of specific behaviours (e.g.…”

The Association Between Screen Time and Outdoor Time on Adolescent Mental Health and Academic Performance: Evidence from Rural China

“…First, both mental health and academic achievement are common outcomes in studies on adolescent development. When studies independently explore the impact of internet usage on student learning outcomes and adolescent mental health, 15,16 there is no opportunity to compare its effects on both of these two interrelated outcomes. Further, an analysis of free time activities and their association with both mental health and academic performance offers a more comprehensive understanding of the link between free time allocation and adolescent development.…”