Call for Papers | Screen Time Effects on Nutrition, Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Sleep Among Children and Adolescents

Submission Due Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026

Research findings report that excessive screen time is linked to poor health outcomes, ranging from weight gain, sleep deprivation, anxiety and beyond. PCD welcomes submissions focusing on the amount of time spent engaging with screens — tablets, computers, or smart phones — while sitting, standing, or being physically active. Example topics include

• Prevalence of excessive screen time exposure and its effects on various health outcomes by race, ethnicity, sex, geographic location, and education level.
• Signs of excessive screen time among children and adolescents and strategies for prevention and early intervention to eliminate excessive use.
• Peer groups and their influence on excessive screen time, including the role of peer groups in addressing screen time usage.
• Strategies to disseminate and scale effective interventions to reduce screen time that can be adapted to other settings and geographic locations.
• School system approaches to identify and reduce excessive screen time in school settings from elementary to high school.
• Scoping reviews examining the effectiveness of clinical, family-centered, or public health interventions related to the impact of social media on mental health, components of effective interventions to reduce screen time, and evidence-based interventions to reduce screen time to increase levels of physical activity, improve nutrition, and improve sleep quality.

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