Differential associations of leisure and educational screen use with mental health in children and adolescents: evidence from a naturalistic context

Objectives This study examined differential patterns of screen use, namely interactive online education (IOE) and leisure screen time (LST), and their associations with psychological outcomes (internalising and externalising problems and prosocial behaviour).Methods A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted in a community sample of 397 parent respondents reporting on children aged 6–17 years in Türkiye. Screen time and psychosocial functioning were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-P) at two time points.Results Leisure screen time increased significantly (mean difference = 2.57 hours/day, p < .001) during the pandemic, accompanied by increases in internalising (t = 7.49, p < .001), and externalising (t = 15.08, p < .001) problems and decreases in prosocial behaviour (t = −9.26, p < .001). LST was positively correlated with internalising (r = .204, p < .001) and externalising problems (r = .154, p = .003) and negatively correlated with prosocial behaviour (r = −.209, p < .001). Males showed significantly higher LST (p = .029) and externalising problems than females (p = .005). Regression analyses indicated that LST was significantly associated with both internalising (β = 0.18, p < .001) and externalising problems (β = 0.12, p = .011), whereas IOE was not.Conclusions These findings support distinguishing between screen-use types and emphasise the importance of content and context, rather than duration alone, in understanding youth mental health.