Prospective associations between sleep, sensation-seeking, and mature screen usage in early adolescents: findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study
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Study Objectives: Early exposure to mature content is linked to high-risk behaviors. This study aims to prospectively investigate how sleep and sensation-seeking behaviors influence the consumption of mature video games and R-rated movies in early adolescents. A secondary analysis examines the bidirectional relationships between sleep patterns and mature screen usage. Methods: Data were obtained from a subsample of 3687 early adolescents (49.2% female; mean age: 11.96 years) participating in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study. At year 2 follow-up, participants wore Fitbit wearables for up to 21 nights to assess objective sleep measures and completed a scale about sensation-seeking traits. At year 3 follow-up, they answered questions about mature screen usage. Results: Of the sample, 41.8% of the sample reported playing mature-rated video games and 49% reported watching R-rated movies. Sensation-seeking traits were associated with R-rated movie watching 1 year later. Shorter sleep duration, later bedtime, more bedtime variability, and more social jetlag (discrepancy between the mid-sleep on weekdays and weekends) were associated with mature-rated video gaming and R-rated movie watching 1 year later. Sleep duration variability was associated with mature-rated video gaming. There was also an interaction effect: those with higher sensation-seeking scores and shorter sleep duration reported more frequent R-rated movie usage than those with longer sleep duration. Secondary analyses showed bidirectional associations between later bedtimes, more variability in bedtimes, and more social jetlag with mature screen usage. Conclusions: Early adolescents with sensation-seeking traits and poorer sleep health were more likely to engage in mature screen usage.
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Higher impulsivity is linked to longer digital media use relative to lower sensory-seeking behavior.
“Children with higher impulsivity are also more prone to greater digital media use duration compared with children with lower sensory-seeking behaviors.68,69”
From Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Technical Report (2026) · cites this paper as [68]
The Discussion (page not available in our copy) reports that higher sensation-seeking traits were associated with more frequent R-rated movie watching in early adolescents. The study measured sensation-seeking using an impulsive-behavior scale, but it does not establish that higher impulsivity predicts longer digital media use overall or compare impulsivity with lower sensation-seeking behavior. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Technical Report
Munzer, T., Milkovich, L. M., Madigan, S., Tomopoulos, S., Parga-Belinkie, J., Ajumobi, T., Cross, C., Gerwin, R., Council on Communications and Media, Radesky, J., et al. (2026) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2025-075321 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
- Authors
- Zhang, L., Oshri, A., Carvalho, C., Uddin, L. Q., Geier, C., Nagata, J. M., Cummins, K., Hoffman, E. A., Tomko, R. L., Chaarani, B., Squeglia, L. M., Wing, D., Mason, M. J., Fuemmeler, B., Lisdahl, K., Tapert, S. F., Baker, F. C., & Kiss, O.
- Affiliations
- University of Georgia (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- California State University Los Angeles (US)
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Medical University of South Carolina (US)
- University of Vermont (US)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (US)
- SRI International (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kiss, Orsolya
- ORCID
- Venue
- SLEEP
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2024-12-18
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 0161-8105 (ISSN-L)
- 1550-9109
- PMC
- PMC12477119
- OpenAlex
- W4403316941
- Cited by
- 10
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1
- FWCI
- 4.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- SLEEP (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- VUBIR (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (U01DA041048, U01DA050989, U01DA051016, U01DA041022, U01DA051018, U01DA051037, U01DA050987, U01DA041174, U01DA041106, U01DA041117, U01DA041028, U01DA041134, U01DA050988, U01DA051039, U01DA041156, U01DA041025, U01DA041120, U01DA051038, U01DA041148, U01DA041093, U01DA041089, U24DA041123, U24DA041147, R01MH135492)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01 DA058334, R01 DA055630, K01 DA045219)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Keywords
- sleep duration, sensation seeking, early adolescents, bedtime, social jetlag, sleep duration variability, adolescent media use, bidirectional relationship
- MeSH terms
- Screen Time, Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Motion Pictures, Prospective Studies, Risk-Taking, Sleep, Video Games
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