Covid-19 and the Screen Time Moral Panic: Objectively-Measured Digital Technology Use Does Not Predict within- or between-Person Differences in Depression, Anxiety, or Suicidal Ideation

This longitudinal study of 384 young adults found that objectively-measured digital technology use explained, at most, 1.5% of the within-person or between-person variance in depression, anxiety, or suicidal ideation, while Covid-19-related impacts on well-being explained 10-15% of within-person variance and 20-40% of between-person variance in these outcomes.