Screen Use and Its Association with ADHD Symptoms among Children: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the common childhood disorders and a serious public health problem. The influence of screen use on ADHD symptoms has been widely concerned, especially with the improvement of people's living conditions, more and more children have access to screens. Therefore, it is necessary for us to understand whether screen use is related to children's ADHD symptoms and how it affects children with ADHD. This systematic review used thematic analysis to identify common themes and topics in the recent literature on screen use and children with ADHD: screen type, screen time, effects of screen use. The purpose of this study was to conduct a retrospective study to extract, identify, explore and summarize common themes in the recent literature regarding screen use and children with ADHD. By inputting keywords related to the topic, literature search is conducted in Google Scholar. The journal articles used were published between 2019 and 2023 and were edited based on abstracts and content analysis. Screen use increased ADHD symptoms, and children with ADHD showed more screen use. Screen use increases ADHD symptoms, disrupts language development, and affects child's development, life, and family. We also considered the relationship between different types of screens and ADHD symptoms. These results provide a reference source for future research and provide a new idea for research.