Moderate Screen Use Linked to Faster Recovery Among Youth After Concussion

WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For children within 72 hours of sustaining a concussion, moderate screen use is associated with faster recovery, according to a study published online June 9 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Nikhil Desai, from Nationwide Children”s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed a school-going cohort aged 11 to 17 years enrolled within 72 hours of sustaining a concussion. Participants wore a mini-camera for seven days to objectively capture out-of-school screen time use, classified as smartphone, television, computer/tablet, or gaming.

The researchers found that the average daily postconcussion screen time was 358.4 minutes among 80 participants (mean age, 14.3 years; 65.0 percent male). Smartphone use was most common, followed by watching television, computer/tablet use, and gaming (224.4, 203.5, 112.8, and 59.7 minutes/day, respectively). Compared with 260 minutes/day, an optimal median of 141 minutes/day during the first three days postconcussion was associated with a 1.35-fold higher rate of symptom resolution. Compared with more restricted use (<120 minutes/day) or prolonged use (>240 minutes/day), moderate screen time (120 to 240 minutes/day) was associated with faster symptom resolution in exploratory analyses (hazard ratios, 2.27 and 1.58, respectively). For smartphone and television use, similar trends were observed.

“These findings suggest that, instead of advising complete screen avoidance, clinicians may better support recovery by guiding youth towards a balanced target of about 141 minutes of daily screen time in the first three days postconcussion,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text