Abstract

IMPACT OF EXCESSIVE SCREEN TIME ON NEURODEVELOPMENT, SLEEP, BEHAVIOR, AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO AYURVEDIC DINACHARYA AND SADVRITTA

*Vd. Mohini Sunilrao Mahalle, Vd. Yogesh Shankarrao Surse, Vd. Bhaskar Jadhav, Vd. Vishakha Vikrant Suryawanshi

Abstract

Background: Children today are growing up immersed in a pervasive digital ecosystem of televisions, smartphones, tablets, and interactive platforms. Concurrently, Ayurveda has for centuries prescribed structured daily conduct — Dinacharya (daily regimen), Ratricharya (night regimen), and Sadvritta (code of right conduct) — intended to protect sensory, digestive, and mental health across the lifespan. This review examines whether these classical behavioral frameworks offer a coherent, complementary lens on the well-documented harms of excessive childhood screen exposure. Objective: To critically synthesize contemporary evidence on the neurodevelopmental, sleep-related, behavioral, and academic consequences of excessive screen time in children, and to examine the Ayurvedic constructs of Dinacharya, Ratricharya, Nidra, and Sadvritta as a potential integrative framework for prevention and management. Methods: A narrative-integrative review was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus- indexed journals, Frontiers, JAMA Network, and the AYUSH Research Portal, supplemented by classical Ayurvedic textual content as represented in peer-reviewed secondary literature. English-language biomedical publications from 2018–2026 were prioritized, including the American Academy of Pediatrics' January 2026 policy update on children's digital media use. Key Findings: Excessive screen exposure is consistently associated with altered neurodevelopmental trajectories (reduced cortical thickness, altered connectivity), delayed language acquisition, disrupted sleep architecture via melatonin suppression and psychological arousal, elevated risk of ADHD-type and internalizing behavioral symptoms, lower academic achievement, and physical sequelae including digital eye strain, myopia progression, and reduced physical activity/obesity risk. Ayurvedic Dinacharya and Ratricharya prescribe structured wake-sleep timing, sensory hygiene, and physical activity that parallel several evidence-based screen-time mitigation strategies, while Sadvritta's emphasis on self-regulation, sense-organ discipline (Indriya Nigraha), and social conduct offers a values-based behavioral vocabulary for digital self-regulation. Emerging Ayurvedic clinical research on Medhya Rasayana herbs and structured non-pharmacological regimens for gadget-use disorders shows preliminary promise but remains limited by small trial sizes. Conclusion: Excessive childhood screen time carries substantial, well-replicated risks across multiple developmental domains. Ayurvedic Dinacharya and Sadvritta provide a historically grounded, culturally resonant behavioral framework that converges conceptually with modern sleep hygiene and self-regulation science, but their formal integration into pediatric screen-time management requires dedicated clinical evaluation rather than assumption of equivalence.

Keywords: Screen time; children; neurodevelopment; sleep; behavior; academic performance; Dinacharya; Sadvritta; Ayurveda; Nidra.