Persistent Sadness, Violence, and Bullying and Associations With Screen Time Among New York City Public High School Students, 2021

Objectives. To explore the association between persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and violence-related experiences, in-school bullying, cyberbullying, and screen time. Methods. We used data from the 2021 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Overall and sex-stratified bivariate and logistic regression models were constructed to examine the relationship of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness with violence-related experiences, in-school bullying, cyberbullying, and elevated screen time usage. Results. Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness were associated with violence-related experiences, in-school bullying, and cyberbullying among both male and female students, with the prevalence being higher among female students. There was an association between elevated screen time and persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness only among female students (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20, 2.90). Conclusions. Sex-based differences existed in the association between persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and violence-related experiences, in-school bullying, cyberbullying, and elevated screen time. There is a need for interventions, programs, and resources promoting violence- and bullying-free environments and addressing the potential negative effects of screen time. ( Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print May 29, 2025:e1–e11. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308051 )