Screen Exposure, Sleep Duration, and Behavioral Problems in School-Aged Children: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of digital screen exposure among young children has raised concerns regarding its adverse impacts on developmental health, behavior, and sleep patterns. This study aimed to investigate the impact of daily screen time on behavioral problems and sleep duration among children aged 5 to 12 years in Pakistan. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was utilized with a sample of N = 74 parents recruited via simple random sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire assessing daily screen hours and sleep duration, the ScreenQ tool, and the Behavior Problem Inventory-Short Form (BPI-S). Analyses were performed using SPSS, including descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha reliability tests, independent samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. The overall 46-item scale demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha = .887). Over 35\% of children engaged in 5 or more hours of daily screen time, and 55.4\% slept only 6 to 8 hours per night. Male children reported significantly higher daily screen exposure (M = 12.25, SD = 2.56) than female children (M = 9.97, SD = 2.95; t(71) = 3.521, p < .001). Males also showed higher mean behavioral problem scores (M = 18.34, SD = 15.88) than females (M = 12.26, SD = 11.40), though this difference was not statistically significant (p = .074). Screen time did not differ significantly across age sub-groups (p = .682). Excessive screen exposure is highly prevalent among children aged 5–12, with distinct gender differences in usage. High screen time displaces necessary sleep duration and is associated with behavioral challenges, highlighting the urgent need for parental guidance and adherence to healthy screen duration limits.