Parental Aggravation and Children’s Screen Time: The Mediating Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Background: Excessive screen time among children has been associated with a range of negative developmental and behavioral outcomes. While parental stress has been identified as an important risk factor for increased screen exposure, the mechanisms through which parental stress influences children’s screen time remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on the family stress framework and the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) literature, this study examines whether ACEs mediate the relationship between parental aggravation and children’s screen time.

Methods: Data were drawn from the 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), a nationally representative survey of children in the United States. A survey-weighted structural equation model (SEM) was estimated using 51,727 observations. Parental aggravation served as the primary independent variable, children’s screen time as the outcome variable, and ACE exposure as the mediator. The model controlled for race, child gender, child age, poverty level, parental education, parental employment status, and family structure. Indirect effects were estimated using nonlinear combinations of coefficients.

Results: Parental aggravation was significantly associated with increased ACE exposure (β = 0.499, p < .001), and ACE exposure was positively associated with children’s screen time (β = 0.087, p < .001). Parental aggravation also had a direct association with children’s screen time (β = 0.130, p < .001). Mediation analysis indicated a significant indirect effect of parental aggravation on screen time through ACE exposure (β = 0.044, p < .001), accounting for approximately 25% of the total effect (β = 0.174, p < .001). Several structural factors were also associated with ACE exposure and screen time, including family structure, poverty level, parental education, and child age. The model explained approximately 40% of the variance in the outcomes.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that parental stress contributes to children’s screen time both directly and indirectly through increased exposure to adverse childhood experiences. Interventions aimed at reducing excessive screen time should address family stress and ACE-related risk factors while supporting positive parenting practices. Strengthening family stability, reducing household stress, and promoting healthy coping strategies for children may help mitigate the behavioral consequences associated with ACE exposure.