Private screen access in early adolescence predicts subsequent academic and social impairment at the end of high school for boys and girls.

Abstract

Introduction: Youth media guidelines in Canada and the United States recommend that bedrooms should remain screen-free zones. This study aims to verify whether bedroom screens at age 12 years prospectively predict academic and social impairment by age 17 years.

Methods: Participants were from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development birth cohort (661 girls and 686 boys). Linear regression analyses estimated associations between having a bedroom screen (television or computer) at age 12 years and selfreported overall grades, dropout risk, prosocial behaviour and likelihood of having experienced a dating relationship in the past 12 months at age 17 years, while adjusting for potential individual and family confounding factors.

Results: For both girls and boys, bedroom screens at age 12 years predicted lower overall grades (B = -2.41, p ≤ 0.001 for boys; -1.61, p ≤ 0.05 for girls), higher dropout risk (B = 0.16, p ≤ 0.001 for boys; 0.17, p ≤ 0.001 for girls) and lower likelihood of having experienced a dating relationship (B = -0.13, p ≤ 0.001 for boys; -0.18, p ≤ 0.001 for girls) at age 17. Bedroom screens also predicted lower levels of prosocial behaviour (B = -0.52, p ≤ 0.001) at age 17 years for boys.

Conclusion: The bedroom as an early adolescent screen-based zone does not predict long-term positive health and well-being. Pediatric recommendations to parents and youth should be more resolute about bedrooms being screen-free zones and about unlimited access in private exposures in childhood.