Effectiveness of interventions to reduce excessive screen time and problematic media use in children and adolescents: An umbrella review.

Authors

Renata Maria Silva Santos, André Soares da Silva, Igor da Cruz Silva, Felipe Eduardo Santos Souza, Luiza Joanes Oliveira Santos, Felipe Augusto Pedroz Lima, Guilherme Augusto Campos de Souza, Lorena da Fonseca Vianna Lage, Marco Aurélio Romano-Silva, Débora Marques de Miranda

Published in

European child & adolescent psychiatry. Oct 25, 2026. Epub Oct 25, 2026.

Abstract

Evidence on interventions targeting excessive screen time and problematic media use (PMU) in children and adolescents is distributed across different behaviors, intervention strategies, and developmental stages. To synthesize systematic-review evidence on interventions aimed at reducing screen time and/or PMU in children and adolescents. An umbrella review following PRISMA recommendations searched PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science, ERIC and Epistemonikos, with an updated search on August 3, 2026. Eligible systematic reviews included participants aged 0-19 years and interventions primarily targeting screen time and/or PMU. Interventions included parental/family, technological, educational, psychosocial/behavioral, clinical, and physical activity or exercise approaches; primary outcomes were screen time and PMU. Thirty-six systematic reviews were included, comprising 1,023 primary-publication records, corresponding to 672 unique primary publications after accounting for overlap. Interventions specifically targeting screen time generally produced greater reductions in screen-time duration than those addressing screen time alongside multiple health behaviors. Family and parental strategies and technological monitoring showed favorable results for screen-time reduction, whereas psychosocial and behavioral approaches and exercise showed favorable effects for PMU. Effects varied according to age, intervention duration, characteristics, and recipient. Screen time and PMU represent distinct intervention targets, with effectiveness varying according to the behavior addressed and intervention characteristics. More robust evidence with longer follow-up is needed to determine the sustainability of these effects.

PMID:
42927492
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Oct 2026.

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