Excesivo uso de dispositivos electrónicos y redes sociales: una visión de cómo afecta la salud mental, rendimiento académico y relaciones sociales de niños, niñas y adolescentes

Abstract

Everyday use of electronic devices and social media requires distinguishing duration, purpose, timing, and loss of control. This study examined associations between problematic internet use and mental well-being, academic performance, and perceived social support among adolescents from two Ecuadorian schools affiliated with the authors. A quantitative, observational, analytical, cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted with 244 students aged 14–17 years (122 per site), selected through random sampling stratified by grade and sex. The battery included QueST, CIUS, WHO-5, MSPSS, a seven-day objective screen-time record, and institutional academic data. Mean scores were 23.57 (SD = 9.03) for CIUS, 59.44 (SD = 15.19) for WHO-5, and 4.73 (SD = 0.78) for MSPSS. CIUS correlated with lower well-being (r = -.55), grade average (r = -.49), and social support (r = -.22). Adjusted associations remained for WHO-5 (β = -.43, 95% CI [-.57, -.28]), grade average (β = -.35, 95% CI [-.48, -.22]), and MSPSS (β = -.16, 95% CI [-.32, -.01]). Nighttime use showed smaller adjusted associations with well-being and grades. The results show a pattern consistent with the hypothesis that loss of control, rather than total time, is related to poorer well-being and performance indicators, without establishing causality given the cross-sectional design.