Type of screen use and child behavior: a systematic review.

The increasing presence of digital devices in children's lives has raised concerns about their implications for behavioral development. This systematic review analyzed empirical evidence on the relationship between digital screen use (video games, television, and social media) and problematic behaviors in children aged 4 to 12 years, based on studies published between 2014 and 2025. A search was conducted in databases such as Scopus and Ovid, identifying 6,846 records; after the selection process in Rayyan, 8 studies were included. The risk of bias was assessed using NIH and ROB-2 tools, and quality was assessed with the NOS scale. The results show heterogeneous and predominantly correlational associations between screen use and outcomes such as aggression, inattention, and social withdrawal. The evidence suggests that the effects do not depend exclusively on exposure time but are modulated by the type of content, self-regulatory variables, and parental mediation. The need for longitudinal and contextualized studies, especially in Latin America, is highlighted.