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Effect of Screen-Time Education on Digital Health Practices among Secondary School Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Excessive screen time has become an emerging public health concern among secondary school students in Nigeria because prolonged use of smartphones, tablets, computers, televisions, and other digital devices may influence physical activity, sleep, posture, vision, social interaction, and general wellbeing. Secondary school students increasingly use digital devices for academic activities, communication, entertainment, social media, gaming, and online learning. Although digital technology provides important educational and social benefits, prolonged and poorly managed screen use may contribute to sedentary behaviour, eye strain, poor posture, sleep disruption, reduced physical activity, and unhealthy digital habits. Limited awareness of appropriate screen-time management and healthy technology-use practices may increase students' exposure to these risks. Screen-time education provides an opportunity to improve students' knowledge of balanced technology use and promote healthier digital behaviours. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of screen-time education on digital health practices among secondary school students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of the health risks associated with excessive screen use, perceived severity, perceived benefits of responsible screen-time management, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence digital health practices. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes self-efficacy, observational learning, peer influence, parental influence, reinforcement, and environmental factors in shaping students' technology-use behaviours. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the interaction between individual, family, school, peer, community, and broader environmental factors in determining students' screen-use patterns and digital health practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how screen-time education may influence digital health practices among secondary school students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise students aged 12–18 years enrolled in selected public and private secondary schools across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, schools, classes, and eligible students. Screen-time education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to educational sessions, frequency and duration of education, recommended approaches to screen-time management, awareness of prolonged screen-use risks, digital eye-health practices, posture and ergonomics, sleep and screen use, physical activity, breaks from screen use, responsible social-media use, online safety, device-free periods, and strategies for maintaining balanced digital habits. Digital health practices will be assessed using indicators such as taking regular screen breaks, maintaining appropriate viewing distance and posture, adjusting screen brightness appropriately, avoiding prolonged screen use before bedtime, maintaining adequate sleep routines, engaging in regular physical activity, limiting recreational screen use, managing notifications, balancing online and offline activities, maintaining device-free periods, using appropriate eye-care practices, and seeking assistance when experiencing persistent screen-related symptoms. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized screen-time knowledge and digital-health practice assessment tools, student screen-use diaries where appropriate, school health records, and relevant health-education programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' characteristics, device-use patterns, duration and purpose of screen use, exposure to education, and digital health practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of screen-time education on digital health practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, digital health practice scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that screen-time education has a significant positive effect on digital health practices among secondary school students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured and age-appropriate screen-time education are expected to demonstrate healthier digital behaviours than students without comparable exposure. Education may improve students' understanding of the potential health effects of prolonged screen use and encourage regular screen breaks, healthier posture, appropriate viewing distance, reduced recreational screen time, adequate sleep, and greater participation in physical activities. Students may also become more aware of the importance of balancing digital activities with offline social interaction, academic responsibilities, exercise, and rest. Practical education involving demonstrations of appropriate device positioning, screen breaks, bedtime routines, and responsible digital habits may strengthen students' ability to apply the recommended practices. However, academic requirements, parental and peer influence, social-media use, gaming, access to multiple digital devices, online learning demands, and limited parental or school monitoring may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects accessible, practical, age-appropriate, and sustained screen-time education, supported by parents, schools, and community health programmes, to contribute significantly to improved digital health practices among secondary school students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on screen time, digital health, adolescent health, school health, health education, sedentary behaviour, sleep health, eye health, physical activity, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, state ministries of health and education, secondary schools, school health personnel, teachers, parents, healthcare professionals, public health practitioners, child-health organizations, youth organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for promoting healthier digital habits among adolescents. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating screen-time education into school health programmes, strengthening digital health literacy, promoting regular screen breaks and physical activity, improving awareness of healthy device use, encouraging appropriate sleep and eye-care practices, strengthening parental and teacher involvement, and developing school-based strategies for promoting healthy digital lifestyles among secondary school students across Nigeria.

Keywords: Screen-time education, digital health practices, secondary school students, screen time, digital health, adolescent health, school health, sedentary behaviour, health education, Nigeria, public health.