S-24
Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Screen Time versus Problematic Technology Use: Divergent Associations with Adolescent Mental Health and Cognition
Alejo Ramiro Barbuzza1,2,3,4, María de los Ángeles Chimenti2,5, Juan Ignacio Galli2,6, Luis Angel Roldán2,5,7, Pedro Bekinschtein2,9, Valeria Abusamra2,5,8, Fabricio Ballarini1,2
1. Laboratorio de Memoria, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia “Prof. E. De Robertis” (IBCN), Facultad de Medicina, UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2. Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
3. Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular “Dr. Héctor Maldonado” (FBMC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
4. Red Educativa iTINERE, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
5. Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones en Psicología Matemática y Experimental "Dr. Horacio J. A. Rimoldi" (CIIPME) - CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
6. Instituto de Psicología Básica Aplicada y Tecnología (IPSIBAT, CONICET-UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina.
7. Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina.
8. Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
9. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional (INCyT), CONICET – Universidad Favaloro – Fundación INECO, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Presenting Author:
barbuzza.alejo@gmail.com
Excessive screen exposure has been proposed as a risk factor for mental health, yet evidence suggests that how screens are used may matter more than how much. We examined this in 3,261 secondary students (grades 1 and 4) from 100 Buenos Aires City schools, collecting gender, socioeconomic status, and school type, plus device-tracked screen time, self-report instruments, and cognitive tests of attention, divergent thinking, and executive functions. 31.3% of students exceeded the anxiety cutoff, 38.1% depression, 37.1% daytime sleepiness, and 24.6% problematic smartphone use. Screen time was 6.16 h/day. Screen time alone showed no independent association with mental health outcomes in multilevel models (random intercept by school); problematic smartphone and technology use remained independently associated with worse outcomes, with technology misuse showing the strongest effect on depression. Exploratory comparisons between at-risk and non-risk groups on attention and fluency tasks showed small but significant differences: lower attention in students at risk for anxiety, depression, and problematic smartphone use, and fewer correct fluency responses among those at risk for depression and anxiety. Sleepiness showed no cognitive differences. These findings suggest that how adolescents use technology, rather than screen time itself, is more strongly associated with mental health and cognition.
