ECHO Media Use Research
Media Use
The ECHO Program is committed to understanding the factors that influence child health, well-being, and development. The ECHO Program’s uniquely diverse, nationwide research network collects information from more than 64,000 children and their families, including information about media habits and related health outcomes. This allows researchers to investigate the effects of digital media use on child health and well-being.
Resources
Visit these sites to learn more about media use and children.
Surgeon General: Social Media and Youth Mental Health
American Acadamy of Pediatrics: Constantly Connected: How Media Use Can Affect Your Child
QUESTIONS
For more information, please email the NIH at NIHKidsandEnvironment@od.nih.gov.
For media inquiries or to request an interview, contact Rebekah Yeager at rebekah.yeager@nih.gov.
Social media and digital tools have become part of daily life for many children and adolescents. While these platforms may offer a number of benefits, excessive screen time and digital media use among children have also been associated with adverse physical, developmental, and mental health outcomes, including obesity, inadequate sleep, and depression and anxiety. More research is needed to understand the full impact of screen time and social media use during developmentally sensitive periods of childhood and adolescence.
What We're Learning
The ECHO Program has published more than 2,000 articles about the results of its research, including many that looked at screen time and social media.
Here are some research highlights:
Strong Friendships Matter More than Time Spent on Social Media for Adolescent Mental Health, ECHO Study Finds
February 2025
High-quality peer relationships were the strongest predictor of teen well-being, regardless of social media use, with a magnitude nearly three times as large as the association between social media use and poor mental health.
How Can Clinicians Help Parents Set Reasonable Boundaries for their Children’s Digital Media Use?
March 2023
Parents have varying knowledge and beliefs about regulating their children’s digital media use, but many are interested in learning more about this topic from materials provided by their child’s pediatrician.
Screen Time for Children Rose During COVID-19 Pandemic, Remained High After Restrictions Lifted
February 15, 2023
Increases in screen time among children during the COVID-19 pandemic persisted more than one year into the pandemic, even when school closures and other restrictions had been lifted.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Children's Screen Time Increased
August 19, 2022
Children’s screen time increased during the pandemic with Hispanic children and non-Hispanic Black children having the most noticeable increase in screen time.
Children Whose Parents Had Flexible Work Schedules and More Financial Security Were More Likely to Have Less Screen Time and More Sleep
July 19, 2022
Children with parents who were able to change their work schedules to care for their children during the pandemic had less screen time and slept longer at night compared to children with parents who were unable to adjust their work schedules due to stress about money and access to food.