A cross-sectional examination of the associations between types of recreational screen times and flourishing among a large sample of adolescents

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OBJECTIVES: Screen time is linked to deteriorating adolescent mental health. However, most evidence comes from studies examining total screen time rather than types of screen use. This study explored functional associations between time spent on five common recreational screen types-social media, video games, television, messaging, Internet browsing-and adolescent flourishing. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We used data from 58,472 participants in the COMPASS study in 2024. Generalized linear models with quadratic and cubic terms assessed associations between screen use and flourishing scores. RESULTS: Results revealed non-linear associations between the different screen types and adolescent flourishing. Negative associations were observed immediately for video games and Internet, while social media, television, and messaging initially showed slight positive associations, reversing after 30 min (messaging) and 60 min (television, social media). Prolonged use (>120 min) of all screen types was associated with lower flourishing scores compared to non-daily users. Among all screen types, video games were most strongly associated with lower flourishing. Associations were generally similar for males and females, except for video games, where females were associated with lower flourishing scores than males as time increased. CONCLUSION: All recreational screen types are not equally associated with adolescent flourishing. Public health guidelines regarding youth screen time could be refined to account for differential associations. Screen types more strongly associated with lower flourishing and specific thresholds could be targeted in future guidelines and interventions to promote adolescent well-being.

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