Critically appraising the pitfalls of screen time effects research

To the Editor

Existing recommendations regulating screen time use and studies investigating its effects are inherently problematic for two main reasons.

First, they imply that screen time activities are essentially the same in nature regardless of what type of digital content is being consumed. This phenomenon has been described as monolithic screen time, which refers to an assessment approach to screen time implying that all screen time activities are qualitatively and psychologically equivalent. This assessment may be one of the main reasons leading researchers to report conflicting evidence in relation to the potential role of screen time in enhancing and/or deteriorating psychological health and well-being of users.

Although research has shown that screen time activities can lead to distinct psychological outcomes depending on which digital activity is engaged, researchers are still conducting large-scale studies assessing screen time in methodologically flawed ways due to poor operationalization and assessment through problematic single-item questions (e.g. Orben et al., 2019; Przybylski et al., 2019). This assessment approach signifies that all screen time activities are created equal and it overlooks the mounting body of evidence suggesting that digital technology activities can elicit different effects (Pontes, 2017). For instance, screen time associated with gaming has been consistently shown to generate addictive-like effects leading to deteriorated psychological health, well-being, and overall functioning much more so than screen time associated with banking or sending emails.

Second, research on screen time does not acknowledge the unique behavioural context and users’ patterns of engagement with screen time activities, creating a contextual void in relation to the investigation of screen time effects. Acknowledging the context in which screen time takes place is critical to inform research that can capture users’ individual differences and inclinations towards technology use. Researchers have now shown that specific personality traits have been linked to different patterns of screen time use, with compulsive and impulsive traits often leading to more harmful technology use. Notwithstanding this, existing research exploring the role of screen time on psychological well-being often fails to account for users’ different patterns of engagement with screen time activities by statistically controlling for the potential confounding effects due to individual differences.

As the use of digital technology continues to increase worldwide, scientists will be integral in generating robust evidence-based preventive solutions to help society tackle the potential for harmful effects arising from screen time.