Screen Time and the Developing Brain: Implications for Cognition, Mental Health, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Children and adolescents are growing up in an environment saturated with screens. Smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and social media platforms now shape how young people learn, socialize, and regulate emotion, often from the first years of life. As recreational and educational screen use continues to climb, parents, educators, clinicians, and public health authorities are asking urgent questions about what this means for the developing brain. A growing body of evidence links excessive or poorly contextualized screen exposure to changes in attention, executive function, language acquisition, sleep, and socio-emotional regulation. At the same time, screens can support learning, connection, and access to health information when used well. The picture is further complicated for children with, or at risk of, neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism spectrum disorder, where screen use patterns may both reflect and reinforce underlying vulnerabilities. Disentangling cause, consequence, and context is now a core public health priority.

This Research Topic aims to bring together high-quality evidence on how screen time shapes cognition, mental health, and neurodevelopment across childhood and adolescence, with a particular focus on ADHD, autism, and other neurodevelopmental conditions. Past research has often relied on crude measures of screen “dose” and produced mixed findings. We want to move the field forward by foregrounding the content, context, and purpose of screen use, alongside the home, school, and community environments that shape it. We invite work that strengthens the evidence base for public health education and promotion, informs age-appropriate guidance for families and schools, and identifies modifiable targets for prevention and intervention. Contributions that examine equity, vulnerable groups, temporal trends, and the role of social media in identity and mental health during sensitive developmental windows are especially welcome. Ultimately, we hope this collection will help translate complex evidence into clear, actionable messages for practitioners, policymakers, and the public.

We welcome papers addressing, but not limited to:

Screen time and the structural and functional development of the brain

Effects of screen time on cognition, including attention, memory, and executive function

Screen time and neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and autism spectrum disorder

Problematic screen use and its impact on developmental markers, including language and social skills

Differential effects of screen content (educational, entertainment, violent, passive vs. interactive) and context of use on developmental outcomes

The role of home, school, and community environments in shaping children’s screen habits

Temporal and cross-cultural trends in child and adolescent screen use

Social media use and its influence on the developing brain, mental health, and identity

Public health interventions, education programs, and policy approaches that promote healthy screen use

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: screen time, child development, adolescent development, neurodevelopment, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, cognition, executive function, mental health, social media, problematic screen use, digital media, language development, social skills

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.