{"id":{"repo_id":"reykjavik","oai_identifier":"oai:skemman.is:1946/53441"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/reykjavik/oai:skemman.is:1946/53441","repository":{"repo_id":"reykjavik","name":"Reykjavík University","base_url":"https://skemman.is/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Associations Between Screen Time, Cognitive Function, and Academic Performance Among Icelandic High School Students : The Mediating Role of Sleep","abstract":"Screen use has become a major part of young people’s daily lives, raising questions about its impact on learning and well-being. Screen time refers to the hours spent using electronic devices. Recent data show that screen time amongst adolescent´s is much higher than recommended. High screen time has been associated with negative outcomes, including poorer cognitive function, academic performance, and sleep. This study examined the associations between screen time, cognitive function, and academic performance, as well as the mediating role of sleep. Participants were 184 first year students at an upper secondary school in Reykjavík who completed a questionnaire assessing screen time (Questionnaire for Screen Time of Adolescents), sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and cognitive function (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System). Academic performance was operationalized using official school grades in Icelandic and Mathematics. Results showed greater screen time was associated with poorer cognitive function and academic performance. More screen time was also linked to poorer sleep, which in turn was associated with poorer cognitive function but not academic performance. Sleep partially mediated the relationship between screen time and cognitive function. However, sleep did not mediate the relationship between screen time and academic performance. These results highlight the importance of limiting screen time and maintaining healthy sleep habits as a part of effort to improve health and academic performance among young people, as well as the need for greater awareness among parents, schools, and policymakers on a societal level. Keywords: Screen use, sleep, cognitive function, academic performance, high school students","abstract_html":"Screen use has become a major part of young people’s daily lives, raising questions about its impact on learning and well-being. Screen time refers to the hours spent using electronic devices. Recent data show that screen time amongst adolescent´s is much higher than recommended. High screen time has been associated with negative outcomes, including poorer cognitive function, academic performance, and sleep. This study examined the associations between screen time, cognitive function, and academic performance, as well as the mediating role of sleep. Participants were 184 first year students at an upper secondary school in Reykjavík who completed a questionnaire assessing screen time (Questionnaire for Screen Time of Adolescents), sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and cognitive function (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System). Academic performance was operationalized using official school grades in Icelandic and Mathematics. Results showed greater screen time was associated with poorer cognitive function and academic performance. More screen time was also linked to poorer sleep, which in turn was associated with poorer cognitive function but not academic performance. Sleep partially mediated the relationship between screen time and cognitive function. However, sleep did not mediate the relationship between screen time and academic performance. These results highlight the importance of limiting screen time and maintaining healthy sleep habits as a part of effort to improve health and academic performance among young people, as well as the need for greater awareness among parents, schools, and policymakers on a societal level. Keywords: Screen use, sleep, cognitive function, academic performance, high school students","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Eydís Birta Aðalsteinsdóttir 2004-","Klara Sjöfn Gísladóttir 2003-"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Háskólinn í Reykjavík"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-06-02T09:34:44Z","date_published":"2026-06-02T09:34:44Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:37:50Z","subjects":["Sálfræði","Framhaldsskólanemar","Unglingar","Skjánotkun","Svefn","Námsárangur","Psychology","High school students","Teenagers","Sleep","Academic achievement"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1946/53441","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Háskólinn í Reykjavík"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Eydís Birta Aðalsteinsdóttir 2004-","Klara Sjöfn Gísladóttir 2003-"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-06-02T09:34:40Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-06-02T09:34:40Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026-06-02T09:34:44Z"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Sálfræði","Framhaldsskólanemar","Unglingar","Skjánotkun","Svefn","Námsárangur","Psychology","High school students","Teenagers","Sleep","Academic achievement"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/1946/53441"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Screen use has become a major part of young people’s daily lives, raising questions about its impact on learning and well-being. Screen time refers to the hours spent using electronic devices. Recent data show that screen time amongst adolescent´s is much higher than recommended. High screen time has been associated with negative outcomes, including poorer cognitive function, academic performance, and sleep. This study examined the associations between screen time, cognitive function, and academic performance, as well as the mediating role of sleep. Participants were 184 first year students at an upper secondary school in Reykjavík who completed a questionnaire assessing screen time (Questionnaire for Screen Time of Adolescents), sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and cognitive function (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System). Academic performance was operationalized using official school grades in Icelandic and Mathematics. Results showed greater screen time was associated with poorer cognitive function and academic performance. More screen time was also linked to poorer sleep, which in turn was associated with poorer cognitive function but not academic performance. Sleep partially mediated the relationship between screen time and cognitive function. However, sleep did not mediate the relationship between screen time and academic performance. These results highlight the importance of limiting screen time and maintaining healthy sleep habits as a part of effort to improve health and academic performance among young people, as well as the need for greater awareness among parents, schools, and policymakers on a societal level. Keywords: Screen use, sleep, cognitive function, academic performance, high school students","Skjánotkun er orðinn verulega stór hluti af daglegu lífi ungs fólks og vekur upp spurningar um áhrif þess á nám og vellíðan. Skjátími vísar til þeirra klukkustunda sem unglingar verja í notkun raftækja. Nýlegar upplýsingar sýna að skjánotkun meðal unglinga er mun meiri en ráðlagt er. Mikill skjátími hefur verið tengdur við neikvæðar útkomur, þar á meðal lakari hugræna virkni, námsárangur og svefn. Þessi rannsókn skoðaði tengsl milli skjátíma, hugrænnar virkni og námsárangurs, sem og miðlandi hlutverk svefns. Þátttakendur voru 184 nemendur á fyrsta ári í framhaldsskóla í Reykjavík sem svöruðu spurningalista sem kannaði skjátíma (Questionnaire for Screen Time of Adolescents), svefn (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) og hugræna virkni (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System). Námsárangur var metinn með opinberum einkunnum frá tilgreindum skóla í íslensku og stærðfræði. Niðurstöður sýndu að meiri skjátími tengdist lakari hugrænni virkni og námsárangri. Meiri skjátími tengdist einnig verri svefni, sem aftur tengdist lakari hugrænni virkni en ekki námsárangri. Svefn miðlaði að hluta til tengslum milli skjátíma og hugrænnar virkni. Hins vegar hafði svefn ekki marktæk miðlunaráhrif á sambandið milli skjátíma og námsárangurs. Þessar niðurstöður undirstrika mikilvægi þess að takmarka skjátíma og viðhalda heilbrigðum svefnvenjum sem hluta af viðleitni til að bæta heilsu og námsárangur ungs fólks, sem og þörfina á aukinni vitundarvakningu meðal foreldra, skóla og stjórnmálamanna á samfélagslegum vettvangi. Lykilorð: Skjátími, svefn, hugræn virkni, námsárangur, framhaldsskólanemar"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Associations Between Screen Time, Cognitive Function, and Academic Performance Among Icelandic High School Students : The Mediating Role of Sleep"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Háskólinn í Reykjavík"],"dc:creator":["Eydís Birta Aðalsteinsdóttir 2004-","Klara Sjöfn Gísladóttir 2003-"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-06-02T09:34:40Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-06-02T09:34:40Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2026-06-02T09:34:44Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Screen use has become a major part of young people’s daily lives, raising questions about its impact on learning and well-being. Screen time refers to the hours spent using electronic devices. Recent data show that screen time amongst adolescent´s is much higher than recommended. High screen time has been associated with negative outcomes, including poorer cognitive function, academic performance, and sleep. This study examined the associations between screen time, cognitive function, and academic performance, as well as the mediating role of sleep. Participants were 184 first year students at an upper secondary school in Reykjavík who completed a questionnaire assessing screen time (Questionnaire for Screen Time of Adolescents), sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and cognitive function (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System). Academic performance was operationalized using official school grades in Icelandic and Mathematics. Results showed greater screen time was associated with poorer cognitive function and academic performance. More screen time was also linked to poorer sleep, which in turn was associated with poorer cognitive function but not academic performance. Sleep partially mediated the relationship between screen time and cognitive function. However, sleep did not mediate the relationship between screen time and academic performance. These results highlight the importance of limiting screen time and maintaining healthy sleep habits as a part of effort to improve health and academic performance among young people, as well as the need for greater awareness among parents, schools, and policymakers on a societal level. Keywords: Screen use, sleep, cognitive function, academic performance, high school students","Skjánotkun er orðinn verulega stór hluti af daglegu lífi ungs fólks og vekur upp spurningar um áhrif þess á nám og vellíðan. Skjátími vísar til þeirra klukkustunda sem unglingar verja í notkun raftækja. Nýlegar upplýsingar sýna að skjánotkun meðal unglinga er mun meiri en ráðlagt er. Mikill skjátími hefur verið tengdur við neikvæðar útkomur, þar á meðal lakari hugræna virkni, námsárangur og svefn. Þessi rannsókn skoðaði tengsl milli skjátíma, hugrænnar virkni og námsárangurs, sem og miðlandi hlutverk svefns. Þátttakendur voru 184 nemendur á fyrsta ári í framhaldsskóla í Reykjavík sem svöruðu spurningalista sem kannaði skjátíma (Questionnaire for Screen Time of Adolescents), svefn (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) og hugræna virkni (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System). Námsárangur var metinn með opinberum einkunnum frá tilgreindum skóla í íslensku og stærðfræði. Niðurstöður sýndu að meiri skjátími tengdist lakari hugrænni virkni og námsárangri. Meiri skjátími tengdist einnig verri svefni, sem aftur tengdist lakari hugrænni virkni en ekki námsárangri. Svefn miðlaði að hluta til tengslum milli skjátíma og hugrænnar virkni. Hins vegar hafði svefn ekki marktæk miðlunaráhrif á sambandið milli skjátíma og námsárangurs. Þessar niðurstöður undirstrika mikilvægi þess að takmarka skjátíma og viðhalda heilbrigðum svefnvenjum sem hluta af viðleitni til að bæta heilsu og námsárangur ungs fólks, sem og þörfina á aukinni vitundarvakningu meðal foreldra, skóla og stjórnmálamanna á samfélagslegum vettvangi. Lykilorð: Skjátími, svefn, hugræn virkni, námsárangur, framhaldsskólanemar"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1946/53441"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:subject":["Sálfræði","Framhaldsskólanemar","Unglingar","Skjánotkun","Svefn","Námsárangur","Psychology","High school students","Teenagers","Sleep","Academic achievement"],"dc:title":["Associations Between Screen Time, Cognitive Function, and Academic Performance Among Icelandic High School Students : The Mediating Role of Sleep"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:37:50Z"}