How preschoolers' screen habits affect sleep, activity, and emotions
Official title: Causes and Consequences of Preschooler's Digital Media Use: The Role of Sleep, Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Social Emotional Health
Funded at University of South Carolina at Columbia · NIH-11324514 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project learns how the timing, type, and patterns of screen use in 3–5 year olds relate to their sleep, physical activity, and social-emotional health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Carolina at Columbia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project start | June 11, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $635,906 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD112311-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11324514 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are children aged 3–5 and their caregivers who are willing to allow mobile sensing on devices, complete brief real-time surveys, and have the child wear an activity monitor for study periods.
✕Less likely to help
Children outside the 3–5 age range or families unable or unwilling to use smartphone-based sensors or wearable activity monitors are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
This is a multi-year observational study that follows preschool-aged children (3–5 years) to see how their screen habits unfold across daily life. Researchers will use passive mobile sensing on devices, short real-time parent reports (EMA), and wrist or hip accelerometers to collect objective data on screen timing, content, movement, and sleep. The team will link those measurements to standardized reports of children's behavior and social-emotional functioning to understand which screen contexts matter most. The goal is to move beyond total minutes of screen time and learn how when and how screens are used relates to child well-being.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could give families and clinicians clearer, evidence-based guidance about which screen habits are most likely to harm or support preschoolers' sleep, activity, and behavior.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research links high screen time to poorer sleep and behavior, and mobile sensing and EMA have worked in older kids and adults, but applying these objective methods to preschoolers is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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University of South Carolina at Columbia
Columbia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Armstrong, Bridget R. — University of South Carolina at Columbia
- Study coordinator: Armstrong, Bridget R.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.