Semra Büyükkorkmaz ÖZTÜRK, Halil İbrahim ATASOY
Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine - 2026;17(8):860-863
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the health-related impacts of internet use and screen exposure among children and adolescents, focusing on their relationship with obesity, sleep habits, and parental factors. Methods: A total of 220 children (51.8% girls, 48.2% boys) aged 5-18 years who presented to the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic of Abant Izzet Baysal University were included in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected via structured face-to-face questionnaires covering demographic characteristics, daily screen exposure, internet usage patterns, dietary habits, and anthropometric measurements. Body mass index (BMI) and z-scores were calculated according to WHO growth charts. Statistical analyses included chi-square and t-tests, with P < .05 considered significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 12.8 +/- 3.4 years. The mean daily screen time was 3.1 +/- 1.4 hours, and 38.2% of children exceeded 2 hours/day of screen exposure. Overweight or obesity was detected in 26.4% of the cohort and was significantly associated with >2 hours/day of screen use ( P = .021). Children who spent >=2 hours watching television had higher BMI z-scores (mean = 1.12 +/- 0.24) than those who watched less (mean = 0.48 +/- 0.20). Internet use >=2 hours/day was reported by 33.5%, and this was significantly correlated with reduced physical activity ( P = .034) and irregular sleep patterns ( P = .029). Parental education was significantly associated with internet filtering use (P = .042). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that excessive and uncontrolled use of mobile devices and the internet is closely associated with sedentary behavior, an increased risk of overweight/obesity, and poor sleep quality in children. The results emphasize the need for parental supervision, education on healthy technology habits, and public health strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of excessive screen exposure among children.
