Association of daily screen time with adequate sleep among U.S. children and adolescents

Abstract Excessive screen time has been associated with compromised sleep health, but nationally representative evidence among U.S. pediatric populations remains limited. We examined associations between daily screen time and adequate sleep among children 6–12 and adolescents 13–17 years using cross-sectional data from the 2023–2024 National Survey of Children’s Health. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated separately by age group and stratified by racial/ethnic subgroup. Formal interaction tests assessed whether associations differed by race/ethnicity. Greater recreational weekday screen time was associated with lower odds of adequate sleep among both children and adolescents. Race/ethnicity significantly modified this association among children but not among adolescents. These findings support further investigation of screen time reduction and sleep promotion strategies among White, Black, and Hispanic U.S. children and adolescents.