• Posted April 2, 2026

Pandemic Spurred Increase In Screen Time Among Children, Teens

The COVID-19 pandemic fueled a dramatic rise in screen use among children and teenagers, a new evidence review says.

Kids spent more time with screens after the pandemic, using computers, video games, smartphones and tablets at rates higher than before COVID struck, researchers recently reported in the journal Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Only television has declined as a means of screen entertainment among children and teens, researchers found.

“Interestingly, even during the pandemic, television viewing continued to decline,” co-lead investigator Yuko Mori said in a news release. She’s a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Turku Research Center for Child Psychiatry in Finland.

For the study, researchers analyzed 60 studies conducted between 1991 and 2022 on screen use among children aged 19 and younger.

Prior to the pandemic, results were mixed regarding screen use. Some showed screen use increasing, while others showed stable or decreasing trends depending on the device in question.

But after the pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in both total and leisure screen time among children and teens.

Older children and teens generally reported higher screen time than younger kids, the study found.

“This likely reflects developmental factors,” said co-lead author Sanju Silwal, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Turku. “Adolescence is a life stage where peer relationships, online social interaction and romantic relationships become increasingly central.”

The review specifically found:

• Computer use, both for school and for web searching, gaming or online communication, is trending up.

• Video gaming is peaking during the post-pandemic period, following a consistent rise.

• Smartphones are becoming the primary device for kids’ screen activities.

• Overall, general screen time rose in 15 of 20 studies conducted during and after the pandemic.

• TV watching declined prior to and after the pandemic, on both weekdays and weekends.

Researchers are concerned that more time spent with screens could harm the physical and mental health of children.

Screen time might affect their sleep and could expose them to cyberbullying, inappropriate content and unrealistic body ideals, researchers said.

“Technology offers tremendous opportunities, but it also presents risks,” Silwal said. “To ensure that children benefit from digital environments, we need continuous research, evidence-based policies and coordinated efforts from families, schools, communities and governments.”

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about screen time and children.

SOURCE: University of Turku, news release, March 30, 2026