{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T05:57:20Z","timestamp":1790575040049,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790553600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Children's exposure to electronic screens has risen sharply. This study quantitatively evaluated the association between excessive screen time and childhood attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) risk through a systematic review and meta-analysis, exploring the moderating roles of age and media type.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched observational studies assessing children's screen time and ADHD, and finally included 10 observational studies with overall low-to-moderate risk of bias. Risk of bias was evaluated using the ROBINS-I tool. Continuous data were unified using the Chinn conversion rule. A DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model calculated pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Subgroup analyses, leave-one-out sensitivity analyses, and Begg's and Egger's tests were also conducted.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Excessive screen time was significantly associated with elevated childhood ADHD risk (pooled OR\u2009=\u20091.56, 95% CI: 1.31\u20131.87,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001). Substantial between-study heterogeneity was observed (Q\u2009=\u2009344.51, I\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u2009=\u200997.4%,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001). Subgroup analyses revealed significant age-related heterogeneity: preschoolers (0\u20136 years) showed a larger magnitude of association (OR\u2009=\u20092.40, 95% CI: 1.44\u20133.98), whereas the association in school-age children and adolescents (&amp;gt;6 years) was of smaller magnitude (OR\u2009=\u20091.16, 95% CI: 1.05\u20131.29). Passive TV\/video viewing showed a higher point estimate of ADHD risk (OR\u2009=\u20092.20) than interactive digital media (OR\u2009=\u20091.10), but the between-group difference did not reach statistical significance. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Excessive screen exposure is significantly associated with elevated ADHD risk in children, with distinct age-specific and media type-specific patterns. The preschool period appears to be a high-risk window for screen-related neurodevelopmental effects, with a trend toward stronger association for passive screen exposure. Public health and clinical interventions should prioritize restricting early screen exposure, particularly passive, fast-paced videos without substantial interaction.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2026.1860549","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T05:45:13Z","timestamp":1790574313000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Screen time and attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Caihong","family":"Zhao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child Health Care, Qingdao Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning Service Center","place":["Qingdao, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jing","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences","place":["Qingdao, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xirui","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Quality Control Department, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences","place":["Qingdao, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yufen","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child Health Care, Qingdao Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning Service Center","place":["Qingdao, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215-0366(17)30167-0","article-title":"ADHD In children and young people: prevalence, care pathways, and service provision","volume":"5","author":"Sayal","year":"2018","journal-title":"Lancet Psychiatry"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"434","DOI":"10.1093\/ije\/dyt261","article-title":"ADHD Prevalence estimates across three decades: an updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis","volume":"43","author":"Polanczyk","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int J Epidemiol"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"509","DOI":"10.1055\/a-1489-8049","article-title":"WHO Guideline: physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep for children under 5 years of age","volume":"83","author":"Sommer","year":"2021","journal-title":"Gesundheitswesen"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"373","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2021.6386","article-title":"Global prevalence of meeting screen time guidelines among children 5 years and younger: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"176","author":"McArthur","year":"2022","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"708","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.113.4.708","article-title":"Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children","volume":"113","author":"Christakis","year":"2004","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9875","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1611611114","article-title":"Screen media use and ADHD-related behaviors: four decades of research","volume":"115","author":"Beyens","year":"2018","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"255","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2018.8931","article-title":"Association of digital Media use with subsequent symptoms of attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder among adolescents","volume":"320","author":"Ra","year":"2018","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"341","DOI":"10.1136\/archdischild-2011-301508","article-title":"Do television and electronic games predict children's Psychosocial adjustment? 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