Mental health problems among adolescents are on the rise, while the use of screen activities among young people is also increasing. Screen technology represents an important part of everyday lives, yet their relationship with mental health remains unclear. Our study focused on the associations between screen time, types of screen activities, and the mental health of adolescents who report mental health difficulties. We were also interested in whether resilience, social support, academic achievement, and parental/guardian education level play a protective, risk or neutral role in the relationship between screen time and selected mental health indicators. Our sample consists of 195 adolescents, with most analyses conducted on a subsample of 148 adolescents experiencing at least moderate psychological distress. Most statistical analyses were performed using robust regression analysis. The results showed that longer screen time was associated with higher levels of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms, and with lower levels of positive mental health, with the strongest effects observed for the use of social media and viewing audiovisual content. Playing video games and screen-based learning did not emerge as significant predictors of mental health indicators. Among the examined factors, resilience and academic achievement proved to be the most protective, while perceived social support did not buffer the negative effects of screen use. Higher maternal education level had a beneficial effect only on positive mental health. These findings support our assumption that adolescents with preexisting mental health difficulties are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of excessive screen use. We also emphasize the need to understand the motives behind screen technology use and encourage future research to adopt a longitudinal design that includes a qualitative component. The results also provide a basis for developing interventions that go beyond merely limiting screen time.
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