Associations of Screen Time with Bedtime, Sleep, and Physical Activity Among School-Aged Children in Riyadh: A Cross-Sectional Study
- 1Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
- 2Joint Clinics, Medical Rehabilitation Center, Riyadh 13515, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Evidence on screen use and sleep among younger children in the Middle East is limited. This study examined associations of screen time with bedtime, sleep duration, sleep quality, and physical activity among school-aged children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study (September–October 2025), parents of 1208 children aged 4–15 years attending one private school completed an online survey. Associations were examined using chi-square tests, Goodman–Kruskal Gamma, and ordinal and binary logistic regression adjusted for age and sex. Results: The proportion going to bed at or after 22:00 rose from 7.4% among those with <1 h/day of screen time to 32.9% among those with >3 h/day, and the corresponding proportions not waking refreshed were 20.1% and 35.1%. Compared with >3 h/day, 1–2 h/day was associated with lower odds of late bedtime (odds ratio [OR] = 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.23–0.62) and non-restorative sleep (OR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.32–0.72), and estimates were stable across sensitivity analyses. The unadjusted association with shorter sleep (Gamma = −0.336) was attenuated after adjustment for age, and screen time was not inversely associated with physical activity. Conclusions: Higher screen time was associated with later bedtimes and non-restorative sleep, but not with lower physical activity, suggesting that sleep-focused guidance on evening screen use merits evaluation in longitudinal and intervention studies.
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BibTeX
@article{alhowimel2026associations,
title = {{Associations of Screen Time with Bedtime, Sleep, and Physical Activity Among School-Aged Children in Riyadh: A Cross-Sectional Study}},
author = {Ahmed S. Alhowimel and Aqeel M. Alenazi and Bader A. Alqahtani and Mazyad A. Alotaibi and Norah A. Alhwoaimel and Abdullah H. AlMuhaya},
journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/jcm15218275},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8275},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Associations of Screen Time with Bedtime, Sleep, and Physical Activity Among School-Aged Children in Riyadh: A Cross-Sectional Study
AU - Ahmed S. Alhowimel
AU - Aqeel M. Alenazi
AU - Bader A. Alqahtani
AU - Mazyad A. Alotaibi
AU - Norah A. Alhwoaimel
AU - Abdullah H. AlMuhaya
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Journal of Clinical Medicine
DO - 10.3390/jcm15218275
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8275
AB - Background/Objectives: Evidence on screen use and sleep among younger children in the Middle East is limited. This study examined associations of screen time with bedtime, sleep duration, sleep quality, and physical activity among school-aged children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study (September–October 2025), parents of 1208 children aged 4–15 years attending one private school completed an online survey. Associations were examined using chi-square tests, Goodman–Kruskal Gamma, and ordinal and binary logistic regression adjusted for age and sex. Results: The proportion going to bed at or after 22:00 rose from 7.4% among those with <1 h/day of screen time to 32.9% among those with >3 h/day, and the corresponding proportions not waking refreshed were 20.1% and 35.1%. Compared with >3 h/day, 1–2 h/day was associated with lower odds of late bedtime (odds ratio [OR] = 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.23–0.62) and non-restorative sleep (OR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.32–0.72), and estimates were stable across sensitivity analyses. The unadjusted association with shorter sleep (Gamma = −0.336) was attenuated after adjustment for age, and screen time was not inversely associated with physical activity. Conclusions: Higher screen time was associated with later bedtimes and non-restorative sleep, but not with lower physical activity, suggesting that sleep-focused guidance on evening screen use merits evaluation in longitudinal and intervention studies.
SN - 2077-0383
ER -