A review on the association between screen time and sleep quality among university students

Izaidah Najmiah Suhaimi; Eira Nur Syaheira Iramezi; Wajihah Nazari

Authors

Izaidah Najmiah Suhaimi Faculty of Pharmacy, University Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu, Malaysia
Eira Nur Syaheira Iramezi Faculty of Pharmacy, University Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu, Malaysia
Wajihah Nazari Faculty of Pharmacy, University Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu, Malaysia

Keywords:

Students, Screen time Sleep quality, Electronic devices, PSQI, Sleep disturbances, Social media, Digital health, Academic performance.

Abstract

Students' academic achievement, emotional stability, and physical health all depend on getting enough sleep. Concerns have been raised regarding how university students' use of electronic devices may affect their sleep quality. Moreover, students' increased screen time has been greatly influenced by the prevalence of social media, online gaming, and regular use of digital devices in their daily routines, particularly when it comes to completing assignments and tasks. The purpose of this review of the literature was to identify whether university students' screen time and sleep quality were related in a variety of studies. A comprehensive search was carried out in a few databases to find peer-reviewed observational studies that examined the relationship between university students' screen time and sleep quality and were published between 2018 and 2025. Keywords associated with screen use, sleep disturbances, and university populations were combined in the search terms. Titles, abstracts, and complete texts of studies were reviewed using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies that met the eligibility requirements evaluated screen-based behaviors, reported quantitative results, and used validated instruments like the PSQI to measure sleep quality. The study design, analytical methods, the primary findings, mechanisms, implications, limitations, and suggested further research were among the data that were extracted. Since this review synthesized existing literature, no SPSS analysis was done. There viewed studies generally demonstrate that university students' poorer sleep quality has a significant association with their increased screen time.

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