Screen exposure and social cognition: examining the relationships between screen time, smartphone addiction, internet addiction, and theory of mind components in adolescents

Although there are a limited number of studies investigating the relationship between smartphones, internet addiction, and theory of mind (ToM) in adolescents, the effect of screen exposure on ToM is not well understood. This study aims to examine whether the components of ToM in adolescents are affected by screen exposure. The study sample comprised 293 students (164 females and 129 males) aged between 14 and 17 years. Data collection instruments included a Sociodemographic Data Form and an 11-item screen exposure instrument designed by the researchers. Additionally, the students were administered valid and reliable Turkish adaptations of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), the Young Internet Addiction Test-Short Form (YIAT-SF), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and the Dokuz-Eylül Theory of Mind Scale (DEToMS). Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 software package. The statistical analyses employed included independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, and mediation analysis using Model 4 of the PROCESS macro. A significant but weak negative relationships was found between screen exposure and ToM components (for RMET r = -0.14, for DEToMS r = -0.19). There was a significant negative relationship between smartphone addiction and internet addiction and the ability to read minds from eyes (r = -0.017 and r = -0.015, respectively), but no significant relationship was found with other ToM skills. Screen time was found to mediate the relationship between social cognition and both smartphone and internet addiction. However, the indirect effect of screen time on smartphone addiction (18%) was found to be stronger than its effect on internet addiction (10%). These findings suggest that excessive screen exposure has a detrimental impact on social cognition. The observed association between smartphone and internet addiction and deficits in emotion recognition underscores the importance of interventions to enhance adolescents’ social interactions and mitigate the negative impact on ToM abilities. In this context, structured strategies, such as limiting screen time and implementing social skills training to improve emotion recognition, may be considered feasible interventions for educators and mental health professionals.