Umar TP, Putra AW, Mahendika D, Stella MM, Tandarto K. Screen time in preschool-aged children and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-related behaviors: A literature review. World J Clin Pediatr 2026; 15(1): 111652 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i1.111652]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Tungki Pratama Umar, Department of Medical Profession, Faculty of Medicine, Sriwijaya University, Dr. Moh. Ali Street, Palembang 30114, Indonesia. tungkipratama@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Pediatrics
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 9, 2026 (publication date) through Mar 9, 2026
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics
ISSN
2219-2808
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Umar TP, Putra AW, Mahendika D, Stella MM, Tandarto K. Screen time in preschool-aged children and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-related behaviors: A literature review. World J Clin Pediatr 2026; 15(1): 111652 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i1.111652]
Tungki Pratama Umar, Department of Medical Profession, Faculty of Medicine, Sriwijaya University, Palembang 30114, Indonesia
Aulia Wiratama Putra, Department of Medical Profession, Faculty of Medicine, Trisakti University, Jakarta 11440, Indonesia
Devin Mahendika, Department of Medical Profession, Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University, Padang 25163, Indonesia
Maureen Miracle Stella, Kevin Tandarto, Department of Medical Profession, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Jakarta 14440, Indonesia
Author contributions: Umar TP concept, acquisition, and interpretation of data, literature review, manuscript writing, manuscript editing, and revising the article critically for important intellectual content; Putra AW literature review and manuscript writing, Mahendika D literature review and manuscript writing, Stella MM literature review and manuscript writing, Tandarto K literature review and manuscript writing. All authors approved the final manuscript for publication.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Tungki Pratama Umar, Department of Medical Profession, Faculty of Medicine, Sriwijaya University, Dr. Moh. Ali Street, Palembang 30114, Indonesia. tungkipratama@gmail.com
Received: July 6, 2025 Revised: August 7, 2025 Accepted: October 28, 2025 Published online: March 9, 2026 Processing time: 244 Days and 16.1 Hours
Abstract
In this digital era, excessive screen usage has been reported to worsen the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. However, this connection is found to be bidirectional, with both phenomena impacting each other. The current literature review will summarize some research findings on the correlation between screen time and ADHD-related behaviors. Studies have found that the inattentional and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors of ADHD are positively correlated with screen time. One study showed statistically significant longitudinal correlations between screen time at age three and inattention behaviors and hyperactivity/impulsivity behaviors at age four, but no concurrent association between screen time and either of these behaviors or scores at age three. Crucially, screen usage beyond the two-hours mark was linked to a higher risk of externalizing morbidity that is clinically significant, particularly inattention issues. Meanwhile, screen usage can exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD in children, including aggression, negative emotions, and pressure from life events, according to a summary of pertinent studies.
Core Tip: Screen time has long been believed to cause many behavioral problems in children, particularly in the form of autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the correlation is not unidirectional but bidirectional. In ADHD cases, screen time may be a promoting factor for ADHD development; however, subjects with ADHD also have a tendency to spend more time in front of the screen since it is associated with the instantaneous reward provided by the screen, particularly in video games. This review discusses the bidirectional nature of screen time and ADHD along with several mechanisms underlying this correlation.
