More screen time since childhood associated with better cognitive processing in adolescence

 In a recent Finnish study, more screen time since childhood was associated with better cognitive processing in adolescence. According to one of the researchers, we should not regard screen time solely as harmful. The most important thing is to find a balance between physical activity and screen time that promotes active thinking.

Adolescents’ scarce physical activity is a major challenge in terms of public health. Sedentary lifestyle has been shown to decrease school achievement, while physical activity is known to promote brain functions especially for adults. However, there is little research evidence about the connections of physical activity and sedentary time in childhood and adolescence with regard to cognitive processing in adolescence, although these life stages are pivotal for brain development. Various factors that influence cognitive processing in childhood and adolescence can be reflected far into adulthood also in terms of educational choices and working life. 

The study investigated how physical activity, sedentary behaviour and screen time from childhood to adolescence are associated with cognitive processing in adolescence and whether there are any sex differences in these connections. In addition, the researchers also examined the role of the intensity of physical activity in this respect. 

Screen time can support thinking and learning 

According to the findings, higher amount of screen time since childhood were connected to better cognitive processing in adolescence.  

– The findings suggest that screen time can support children’s and adolescents’ cognitive processing. Presumably, the essential point here is what kind of things they do in their screen time. Teachers and parents should encourage children to use devices and screens in such ways that promote active thinking, problem-solving, creativity and learning, states Doctoral Researcher Petri Jalanko from the University of Jyväskylä. 

– We should not regard screen time solely as harmful but seek balance between physical activity and screen time that promotes active thinking, Jalanko summarises. 

Physical activity and sedentary time associated in complex ways with cognitive processing 

In girls, the higher amount of light-intensity physical activity since childhood was associated with better working memory in adolescence. In boys, then again, higher amount of guided physical activity from childhood to adolescence was associated with better working memory in adolescence. 

Surprisingly, lesser self-reported unsupervised physical activity was connected to better cognitive processing in adolescence. Instead, physical activity or sedentary time as measured by a heart rate and movement sensor were not associated with cognitive processing. The differences may be explained by the fact that the heart rate and movement sensors cannot tell what a person is actually doing during the physical activity and sedentary periods. 

– Our study indicates that the connections of physical activity and sedentary behaviour to cognitive processing are complex and depend on the sex, the type and assessment method of physical activity and sedentary time. Moreover, boys and girls may benefit from different types of physical activity in view of brain health, Jalanko adds. 

–However, we need more intervention studies to find out causal relations and sex differences in this respect. Moreover, it is important to examine more specifically the effects of the intensity of physical activity on changes taking place in cognitive processing. 

The findings are based on an eight-year follow-up of the PANIC study on children’s physical activity and nutrition. The current study involved 124 girls and 136 boys, whose average age was 15.8 years. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured by a device that combined heart rate and movement measurements and also by a survey questionnaire. Learning, attention and working memory were assessed by means of the CogState test battery. The research article is published in the Pediatric Exercise Science journal. 

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Journal

Pediatric Exercise Science

DOI

10.1123/pes.2025-0083 

Schools must adapt to extreme heat in a warming world

New report finds extreme heat in pre-K through 12 schools harms learning and health, offers recommendations to mitigate the damage

Heat waves pose a growing threat to learning, health and well-being in schools as extreme heat becomes more frequent and intense across the United States, finds a report by the American Psychological Association and the Network for Resilient PK-12 Schools.  

The report, Schools, Climate, and Health: Responding to Extreme Heat, synthesizes the research on how extreme heat affects students and educators and offers recommendations for schools, school districts and administrators to strengthen their districts’ heat planning.

“This report is a valuable resource for educators, administrators, parents and the public to understand how schools can protect children's health, safety and learning as extreme heat becomes more common,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “Psychological science demonstrates that extreme heat exposure can impact students' attention, memory and ability to learn, underscoring why schools need to plan now to safeguard learning and promote student health and academic outcomes.”

Students and educators spend much of their waking hours in school buildings, often during the hottest times of the day and at the hottest times of the year, all while many school buildings lack adequate cooling systems. Students face further heat exposure during outdoor activities and their commutes to school. Extreme heat disproportionately affects people with the fewest resources and greatest vulnerabilities, including young children and low-income families, the report finds.  

Extreme heat is more than an inconvenience. It can cause acute symptoms such as dehydration, dizziness and nausea, and young children are especially at risk. In the longer term, research has found that heat can elevate stress hormones, disrupt sleep, increase inflammation, and impair cardiovascular and immune functioning.  

Heat also harms students’ learning. For example, studies have found lower test scores among students on hot school days. Extreme heat has also been linked to mental health effects such as increases in emergency department visits for mood disorders, self-harm and suicidality among children and adolescents.    

Educators’ health and well-being is also at risk from extreme heat, as prolonged heat stress is associated with physical, cognitive and emotional exhaustion, which over time may contribute to burnout.  

The report offers concrete steps that school districts can take to reduce these potential harms, including:

• Designate district-level heat leadership and accountability structures;
• Develop and implement heat thresholds and monitoring procedures, integrated into emergency and safety planning;
• Prioritize mitigation in the locations where heat causes the greatest harm;
• Ensure automatic protection for students and staff who are more vulnerable to extreme heat;
• Implement heat-specific policies for athletics, extracurriculars, after-school programs and transportation;
• Treat heat like a “snow day for cognition,” for example postponing assessments and adjusting instructional load;
• Coordinate heat response with families and caregivers; and
• Ensure that individual actions – like hydration or light clothing – are treated as the last layer of protection rather than the primary defense against extreme heat. 

“Extreme heat is no longer a distant concern,” said Nicole Barnes, PhD, APA’s executive lead psychologist for education. “It is here, and it is affecting students’ health, well-being and educational outcomes. By recognizing the risks of extreme heat and putting these recommendations into practice, schools have a unique opportunity to reduce that harm and provide a safer, healthier learning environment for all students and educators.”

Improvisational theatre, meditation, and games support anxious teens

 Emotional difficulties among young people have increased, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, developing social and emotional skills can help strengthen their ability to cope with challenges. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with UniDistance Suisse, the University of Fribourg and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), examined the effects of regular classroom practice of improvisational theatre, mindfulness meditation and board games designed to explore emotions. Their findings show that these activities have a protective effect on the mental health and self-efficacy of adolescents with the highest levels of anxiety. Improvisational theatre, in particular, fosters the development of empathy and collaboration, regardless of students' anxiety levels. The findings have been published in Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy.

Adolescence is a key stage of development, characterised by heightened emotional vulnerability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in seven young people aged 10 to 19 lives with a mental health condition. In this context, developing social and emotional skills offers a promising way to support both academic success and young people's ability to cope with the challenges of adolescence, particularly for those who are most vulnerable. Identifying approaches that are both effective and well suited to this age group is therefore an important priority.

A team from UNIGE, in collaboration with researchers from UniDistance Suisse, the University of Fribourg and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), compared the effects of three classroom-based activities: improvisational theatre, mindfulness meditation and board games designed to explore emotions. The study involved 300 students aged 15 and over enrolled in three Geneva schools providing pre-vocational and upper secondary education.

Over a nine-week period, the classes took part in a weekly 90-minute session dedicated to one of the three activities. A fourth group attended a 90-minute weekly office skills course focused on job seeking, with no social or emotional content, over the same period. Before and after the programme, the researchers assessed a range of outcomes, including emotional and behavioural difficulties, self-efficacy, emotion regulation, empathy, emotion recognition and willingness to collaborate. The adolescents who took part in the programme often faced multiple vulnerabilities, including emotional and school-related challenges, and some were at high risk of dropping out of school.
 
A Protective Effect Among the Most Anxious Participants

The findings did not show an overall improvement in students’ social and emotional skills. However, they did reveal different effects depending on students’ anxiety levels at the start of the study. At that point, almost one in three participants had moderate to high levels of anxiety.
 
In the control group, young people’s emotional and behavioural difficulties increased over the nine-week period, while their self-efficacy declined. Self-efficacy refers to a person’s confidence in their ability to cope with challenges and act effectively. By contrast, among adolescents who took part in improvisational theatre, mindfulness meditation or board games, these two measures remained broadly stable. The researchers even observed a slight reduction in emotional and interpersonal difficulties among the most anxious students who practised mindfulness meditation.
 
“The most important finding is not a dramatic improvement among all students, but rather that these activities appear to have prevented a decline in those who were already the most vulnerable,” explains Nathalie Mella, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE) and associate researcher at UNIGE’s Interfaculty Centre for Affective Sciences (CISA), who co-led the study with Gwladys Rey, scientific associate at the FPSE. “This highlights the importance of asking not only whether an intervention works on average, but also who is most likely to benefit from it.”
 
Improvisational theatre fosters empathy and collaboration

Improvisational theatre also stood out from the other two activities. After nine sessions, the students who took part showed an increase in cognitive empathy — that is, their ability to adopt another person’s perspective and understand their intentions — as well as a greater willingness to collaborate. These changes were observed regardless of their initial anxiety levels.
 
“Improvisational theatre creates a kind of social laboratory: students must express their emotions, recognise those of others, and adapt to one another in real time, while working in a playful setting where mistakes can become a resource,” say Nathalie Mella and David Sander, professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE) and at UNIGE’s Interfaculty Centre for Affective Sciences (CISA), who also led the study. This was the activity students enjoyed the most. Such engagement is particularly important during adolescence, when interventions that feel too prescriptive or too similar to traditional classroom teaching can lead to disengagement.
 
This study suggests that schools can provide, in regular classroom settings, experiential, playful and socially connected spaces that support the most vulnerable adolescents. The findings therefore highlight the value of approaches that place active participation, peer interaction and a sense of safety within the group at the heart of educational practice. Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the research team is now building on this work through a new study focusing on improvisational theatre and its effects on students from migrant backgrounds.

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Journal

Social and Emotional Learning Research Practice and Policy

DOI

10.1016/j.sel.2026.100213 

Grade 9–10 Math Coursetaking Sequences, Advanced Math Outcomes, & Students’ Course Decisions

How do students’ early high school math coursetaking sequences relate to later access to advanced math courses? Tacoma Public Schools has implemented an Algebra for All policy for grade 8 students to expand access to advanced math and strengthen preparation for college and technical and scientific careers. The Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest worked with Tacoma Public Schools to examine the grade 9–10 math coursetaking sequences students follow after Algebra I in grade 8, how those sequences relate to advanced math course enrollment and success by grade 12, and what factors shape students’ course placement decisions.  Key findings include:  About two-thirds of students followed one of two grade 9–10 math sequences: repeating Algebra I in grade 9 and then taking geometry in grade 10 or taking geometry in grade 9 and Algebra II in grade 10.  Students who repeated Algebra I or took remedial math in grade 9 were less likely to enroll in and pass an advanced math course by grade 12.  Students who took Algebra II before geometry had stronger advanced math outcomes, but this sequence was available at only one high school.  Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students; English learner students; students receiving special education services; students eligible for the National School Lunch Program; and male students were more likely to repeat Algebra I or take remedial math.  Interviews indicated that teacher recommendations, differences in course offerings across schools, limited student choice, and unclear placement rules contributed to students’ course sequences.  Read the full report and technical appendix on the Institute for Educational Sciences website.

Nicotine use linked to mental health problems in adolescents

 

Adolescents who use nicotine are more likely to report symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems than their peers who do not use nicotine. Girls appear to be particularly vulnerable, according to three recent studies from the University of Gothenburg. 

In one study of nearly 3,000 Swedish high school students, almost 80 percent of the girls who used nicotine reported clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety. The associations were found for both traditional tobacco products and tobacco-free nicotine products such as nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes. 

The researchers also followed approximately 1,500 adolescents in southern Sweden over time, from lower secondary school through high school. Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were more common among adolescents who smoked. Girls who increased their tobacco use over time were also more likely to experience worsening sleep problems, anxiety, low mood, and difficulties concentrating. The researchers say the marked differences between girls and boys warrant further investigation. 

Girls may be particularly vulnerable 

Johanna Andersson, physician and PhD student at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, is one of the lead authors: 

“We see clear differences between girls and boys, with girls who smoke appearing to be particularly vulnerable. At the same time, we need a better understanding of how nicotine pouches affect mental health, especially among adolescent girls, where the use of nicotine pouches has increased so rapidly,” she says. 

The findings come from questionnaire-based studies and long-term follow-up of adolescents, combined with experiments in rats examining how nicotine affects neuronal signaling. In the animal study, published in the journal Neuropharmacology, the researchers found that nicotine affected the amygdala, a brain region that plays a key role in emotional regulation and stress responses. The effects were most pronounced in female rats. 

Nicotine alters neuronal communication 

Nicotine altered communication between neurons and produced long-lasting changes in brain activity that persisted even after the nicotine had left the body. 

Louise Adermark, Professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, is one of the principal investigators behind the studies. 

“One of the key findings is that we see similar patterns across several different studies using different types of data. However, we still cannot determine cause and effect. The animal studies demonstrate biological changes in the brain that could contribute to increased vulnerability to anxiety and stress-related symptoms,” says Louise Adermark. 

The researchers emphasize that socioeconomic factors, stress, alcohol use, other substance use, and individual vulnerability also influence the risk of both mental health problems and nicotine use. At the same time, they say the findings raise questions about how new nicotine products affect the developing brain and whether girls may be particularly sensitive to the effects of nicotine. 

Studies:

Sex-specific associations between tobacco use and youth mental health: prospective and cross-sectional findings from Swedish adolescents (Nicotine & Tobacco Research, June 2026) https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag148

Gender-Specific Associations Between Tobacco and Tobacco-Free Nicotine Use and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Swedish Adolescents (Tobacco Use Insights, May 2026) https://doi.org/10.1177/1179173X261455075

Nicotine produces a sex- and subregion-specific hypoglutamatergic state in rodent amygdala which can be reversed by motor-skill training (Neuropharmacology, February 2026) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2026.110879

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Journal

Nicotine & Tobacco Research

DOI

10.1093/ntr/ntag148 

How spe­cial­ist mu­sic pro­grams sup­port mu­si­cally gifted chil­dren

 Unfortunately, a child’s musical giftedness has not always been solely an advantage. Many gifted figures in classical music, such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and in popular music, such as Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, suffered harsh treatment because of their exceptional abilities as children. These sad examples prompt an important question: have we learned from the mistakes of the past? How are gifted children treated in music education today?

This question was explored extensively in a project funded by the Research Council of Finland and led by Guadalupe López-Íñiguez. The project gathered responses from 81 leaders representing 68 specialist music programmes across 25 countries. Bringing together multidisciplinary perspectives on how specialist music programmes educate and support musically gifted children around the world, the study also provides the most comprehensive international picture to date of how gifted children are educated and supported within these programmes.

Joint research articles by Academy Research Fellow Guadalupe López-Íñiguez and Professor Gary E. McPherson reveal a fundamental tension in specialist music education. Some programmes primarily focus on preparing future professional musicians and advancing institutional or national excellence and prestige. In such cases, there is a risk that the needs of the system take precedence over the needs of the child. Other programmes place greater emphasis on children’s holistic development, psychological needs, wellbeing, and childhood rights.

“Rather than finding a single model of gifted education in music, we found a spectrum of approaches,” says Guadalupe López-Íñiguez from the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki.

“Many leaders are striving to balance artistic excellence with genuine care for children, but they also acknowledge that there is considerable room for improvement.”

Limited empirical evidence for wellbeing practices

The first study mapped specialist music programmes worldwide, examining their educational missions, leadership perspectives, and the challenges they face.

Although programme leaders consistently valued high-quality musical training, they also described ongoing dilemmas involving heavy student workloads, performance pressure, inadequate safeguarding measures, mental and physical health concerns, unequal access to opportunities, and the challenge of balancing intensive music studies with children’s broader educational and personal development.

The second study explored what caring leadership looks like within these highly specialised environments. Leaders responsible for developing and running these programmes described initiatives including counselling services, safeguarding policies, stronger communication with families, peer support, teacher development, and greater attention to students’ emotional wellbeing. However, the research also found that these practices remain unevenly distributed across programmes and that evidence of their impact on students’ health and wellbeing remains limited.

Supporting children as whole human beings is fundamental to excellence

“Similarly to other sub-studies within the project, these findings do not suggest that excellence and care are opposing goals,” explains Professor McPherson from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne.

“Instead, they show that the highest-quality programmes increasingly recognise that supporting gifted children as whole human beings is fundamental to sustaining artistic excellence.”

López-Íñiguez adds that this recognition is only part of the solution: “Care for the whole child should be a non-negotiable obligation of every educational environment, whereas artistic excellence should always remain a child’s choice, never something imposed, whether or not they are gifted.” 

Because both articles are published Open Access, educators, researchers, policymakers, families, and music students can freely access the findings. The researchers hope the work will encourage continued international dialogue about how specialist music programmes can balance outstanding artistic training with children’s wellbeing, rights, and long-term development.

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Journal

Gifted Education International

DOI

10.1177/02614294251360614 

Study links student gambling problems to mental health

 

As gambling becomes more accessible to college students, a statewide study of Mississippi's public universities found gambling problems frequently occur alongside depression, anxiety and substance use.

The findings suggest policymakers, parents and healthcare officials should recognize gambling problems as a potential sign that a student may need broader mental health support, researchers said.

In a study of more than 1,800 students attending college at Mississippi's eight public universities, researchers found that nearly 1 in 4 gambled and 7% showed signs of a gambling problem. The study, published in International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, also revealed that students with gambling problems are more likely to report problems with mental health.

"Students were really, really struggling," said Nicholas McAfee, director of the William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education at the University of Mississippi and lead author on the study. "Almost every student in the sample reported some increased level of mental health concern. It didn't matter what school you went to; it was just across the board.

"What's interesting about this study is even though mental health concerns were very prominent, students who tended to gamble more were more likely to be experiencing greater levels of problems among a sample that was already experiencing plenty."

The survey took place in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many casinos were closed. In the years since the study began, access to gambling has only increased.

Prediction markets offer opportunities to place wagers on future events at any time using a cellphone. In-person or online sports betting has become legal in 38 states, with 30 allowing online betting.  

"A lot has changed since the study began, but what unfortunately hasn't changed is access to evidence-based care and treatment or intervention strategies," McAfee said. "This is not a Mississippi thing; we as a country are trying to figure out how to address the proliferation of gambling among young adults and college-age adults, which are of the most at-risk populations."

As sports betting and other forms of online wagering expand, colleges, parents and legislators should be prepared to recognize gambling problems as another sign a student may need help, said Rory Pfund, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

"At the policy level, there are not many, if any, resources in Mississippi dedicated specifically to gambling," he said. "I hope that this is a call for policymakers to create a mechanism to provide dedicated funding not just to college students, but outside of campus as well."

While not every student who gambles will develop a problem, many will, he cautioned.

"There will be people who experience problems, and in fact, there already are," Pfund said. "Tennessee dedicates funding to this issue, and when I worked at a state-funded specialty clinic, we regularly treated people, including college students, from Mississippi for gambling problems. It's already happening."

Funding for gambling problem prevention, treatment and research is scarce at a national level, too. The National Institutes of Health has agencies dedicated to problematic alcohol and substance use, but no such official effort is aimed at problem gambling.

"Obviously gambling brings in a lot of revenue, and that's important," McAfee said. "But also important is taking care of our students. We have to have ways to identify problem gambling.

"That means having the means to identify those students and provide intervention services. That will be a net benefit for everyone involved."

Although the study found a connection between gambling, mental health and substance use, future studies will need to clarify the nature of that relationship.

"Does gambling cause mental health problems, or do mental health concerns make someone more likely to develop gambling problems?" Pfund said. "This study is a foundation for us to advance our knowledge to understand if there is a causal relationship."

Often the answer is not as simple as one issue causing another. Many people who have mental health problems are more susceptible to reward-seeking behavior such as gambling or substance use, but situations where gambling is common often are environments where drinking and substance use occur, McAfee said.

"Many of these social get-togethers are around betting on sports while you're drinking, which of course increases all of your risk factors for all of the above," he said. "The next frontier in understanding college student gambling behaviors is understanding how both these social mechanisms and co-occurring alcohol use feed into one another to create a risky environment."

Until problem gambling and its causes are better understood, parents, educators and administrators must be aware of the warning signs, McAfee said.

"When people are withdrawing from friend groups, or when gambling becomes the entirety of their conversation, there's clearly a change happening here," the Ole Miss administrator said. "If you notice changes – whether that's in mood or withdrawing socially – talk to them.

"The stigma around mental health is shifting, but there is still a huge stigma around problem gambling, and that makes people less likely to seek treatment. For a lot of people, they don't know how to ask for help."

This material is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Education from the Governor's Emergency Relief Fund grant no. GEER–00025.

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Journal

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

DOI

10.1007/s11469-026-01694-4