Sleep as a Mediator of Screen Time Effects on US Children's Health Outcomes

There is growing concern regarding the influence of media exposure on American children's health and development. The current prospective study tested the direct relations between media exposure, sleep, and various health outcomes (e.g. attention problems, aggression, and body composition) and the indirect effect of media exposure through sleep disturbances. Child participants (N = 1,317) completed measures of media consumption and sleep. Teachers reported on children's attention problems and use of physical aggression. Results showed that media exposure at Time 1 was indirectly related to attention, physical aggression, and Body Mass Index at Time 3 (13 months later), mediated by sleep at Time 2. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that screen time is negatively related to health outcomes, and that displaced sleep is one of the mediating mechanisms underlying these relations.