Longitudinal associations of digital media use with mental well-being and psychological distress among university students in Singapore

Digital media use is ubiquitous among university students, yet longitudinal evidence regarding its impact on mental health remains limited. This study examined longitudinal associations between device-, purpose-, and day-type-specific digital media use and mental well-being and psychological distress among students. This prospective cohort study followed first-year undergraduates across three timepoints from enrolment to graduation at National University of Singapore. Students who completed at least one timepoint were included. Self-reported sociodemographics, health behaviors, and mental health outcomes were collected alongside onsite anthropometric measurements. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine longitudinal associations using categorical digital media use. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using continuous and person-mean centering exposure specifications. Among 997 enrolled students (mean age 20.2 years; 59.6% female), mean daily digital media use was 14.3 h/day at enrolment and declined to 12.6 h/day at final follow-up ( p < 0.001). This decline was driven by study-related (from 7.6 to 5.6 h/day) and computer use (from 7.0 to 5.7 h/day), while recreational and mobile use remained stable. Daily digital media use was associated with increased odds of poor mental well-being (Global p < 0.001) and psychological distress (Global p = 0.041). Compared with low-use, strongest associations were observed for high daily use (well-being: OR 1.78 [95% CI 1.30–2.44]; distress: 1.81 [1.09–2.99]) and high study-related use (well-being: 1.85 [1.34–2.55], Global p < 0.001; distress: 2.49 [1.42–4.37], Global p = 0.005). High computer use remained associated with poor well-being (1.97 [1.42–2.75], Global p < 0.001). Findings were broadly consistent across sensitivity analyses. Digital media use was high among university students across university years. Higher use, particularly study-related or computer use, was associated with poorer mental health during the transition to adulthood. These findings suggest that the purpose and context of digital media engagement may be more relevant for mental health than total duration alone, highlighting the importance of targeted digital wellbeing strategies in higher education.