Impacto del uso de pantallas en las funciones ejecutivas de niños y adolescentes: una revisión sistemática
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64492/qesgq608Palabras clave:
actividad física, autorregulación, control inhibitorio, desarrollo cognitivo, entorno familiar, estilo de vida, mediación parental, salud mentalResumen
Introducción: Si bien el uso de pantallas constituye una problemática creciente en la infancia y la adolescencia por su expansión cotidiana y sus posibles efectos en el desarrollo, persiste un vacío de síntesis reciente sobre cómo la edad, la modalidad de uso y el contexto modulan su relación con las funciones ejecutivas. Objetivo: El objetivo de esta revisión sistemática fue analizar la evidencia empírica reciente (2020–2025) sobre la asociación entre el tiempo de pantalla (Screen Time, ST) en el desarrollo de las Funciones Ejecutivas (FE) en niños y adolescentes (0–18 años). Metodología: Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de literatura siguiendo la metodología PRISMA 2020; la búsqueda se realizó en PubMed, Scopus y Web of Science (24/11/2025), identificándose 707 registros. Tras el proceso de cribado y evaluación a texto completo se incluyeron 19 estudios. En conjunto, la muestra incluyó a 12.964 participantes, procedentes de 12 países, con 8 estudios longitudinales y 11 transversales y con una distribución por edades de 0–5 años (8 estudios), 5–12 (6) y 12–18 (5). Resultados: los hallazgos evidencian una asociación predominantemente negativa entre mayor ST y peor rendimiento en FE (inhibición, memoria de trabajo, flexibilidad cognitiva y autorregulación), especialmente cuando el uso es elevado o se asocia a factores contextuales desfavorables (actividad física, menor bienestar o apoyo familiar). La evidencia es heterogénea y parece modulada por variables como la edad, el tipo de uso (activo vs. pasivo) y el contexto familiar, por lo que se requieren más investigaciones que consideren estos factores. Conclusiones: Este estudio abre la puerta a reconceptualizar el tiempo de pantalla desde la calidad de uso y no solo su duración, impulsando modelos que integren factores digitales, familiares y evolutivos.
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