The relationship between screen time and classroom behaviors: Mediating role of loneliness and moderating role of school belonging

Abstract This study investigated the relationships between daily screen time use, feelings of loneliness, sense of school belonging, and types of classroom behaviors among middle school students. Specifically, it examined the mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between screen time and both academic and interpersonal behaviors, as well as the moderating role of school belonging in these relationships. Participants included 460 middle school students (242 males, 218 females, mean age =12.087 years) from Türkiye. The results indicated that increased screen time was positively associated with feelings of loneliness. Screen time also had a direct negative effect on academic behaviors, but no direct effect on interpersonal behaviors. Loneliness negatively predicted both academic and interpersonal behaviors, with a more pronounced effect on interpersonal behaviors. Moreover, loneliness mediated the relationship between screen time and both types of classroom behaviors. School belonging moderated the relationship between screen time and academic behaviors only, indicating that the negative relationship between screen time and academic behaviors was more pronounced among students with a lower sense of school belonging.