Digital screens are now deeply embedded in our lives, with children getting access to them at earlier and earlier ages – but is this increasing screen time actually affecting their health?The science is more mixed than you might expect, with some digital device studies raising concerns and others suggesting there's no real relationship between time in front of a screen and mental or physical problems.In a new paper published in JAMA Network Open, researchers from the University of Edinburgh and Imperial College London analyzed data from a cohort of 3,786 children in the Growing Up in Scotland longitudinal research study.They looked at how out-of-school screen use at age 5, 10, and 15 related to psychosocial development (covering emotional, behavioral, and social well-being).The overall findings are reassuring, and they suggest that how screens are used matters more than time spent engaging with devices."No significant associations were found between screen use and developmental difficulties at 5 or 10 years of age, and an association with higher difficulties score at 15 years of age was only seen for very high use of electronic games and not other forms of screen use," write the researchers in their published paper."Early high screen use was associated with greater difficulties at 10 years of age, but this association was not sustained at 15 years of age."The amount of screen time varied depending on age. (McQuaid et al., JAMA Netw. Open, 2026)The researchers accounted for several other factors that may have influenced the results, including sex, race, ethnicity, household income, and cognitive test scores.One of the more surprising findings was that 15-year-olds who used social media apps for more than an hour a day were less likely to have 'above‑average difficulties' scores than those using these apps for under an hour a day.The authors suggest social media and messaging may boost bonds with friends and offer young people more support. However, they also caution that adolescents with better social functioning may simply be more likely to use them, so the finding cannot establish a benefit."Our findings suggest that public health guidelines that focus solely on limiting screen use, such as the World Health Organization recommendation of 1 hour a day or less for children younger than 5 years, may not accurately reflect the complex relationship between screen time and psychosocial development," write the researchers.The study also showed that the percentage of time spent gaming increased as the kids got older.