The relationship between behavioral problems and screen time in children during COVID-19 school closures in Japan

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies have shown that COVID-19 school closures negatively impacted children’s well-being. We assessed the impact of school closures on children in Japan. We postulated that screen time and sleep habits during school closure would be associated with children’s mental health status. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 959 children in four public elementary schools. Parents completed an original questionnaire in which we enquired about children’s behavioral problems, screen time (duration of watching TV/videos and duration of playing video games), sleep habits, and bodyweight change during school closure. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the relationships between behavioral problems, bodyweight gain, and screen time. RESULTS: It was found that 50.3% of children exhibited some behavioral problems during school closure; fewer children exhibited such problems after schools reopened. Moreover, children’s behavioral problems during school closure were associated with longer total screen time (odds ratio [OR]: 1.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14–1.28, p < .001). Sleep habits were not different between children with behavioral problems and those without. Of the children, 16.7% experienced bodyweight gain during school closure, which was associated with behavioral problems (OR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.43–2.92, p < .001) and time spent watching TV/videos (OR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.08–1.28, p < .001) during closure. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 school closure negatively impacted school children physically and psychologically. Screen time was associated with both physical and mental health status. Therefore, children should not engage in arbitrary screen time during school closures and should be supported in their daily routines.