Nur Zakiah Mohd Saat ^1* Siti Aishah Hanawi ² Hazlenah Hanafiah ³ Mahadir Ahmad ¹ Nor MF Farah ¹ Nur Ain Atikah Abdul Rahman ¹

• ¹ Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• ² Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia
• ³ Other, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

In the current digital age, people's use of electronic devices has significantly increased screen time, which may have an impact on different aspects of their lives. Adolescents today are exposed to excessive screen time, which may affect their sleep and contribute to anxiety and depression. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between screen time, sleep quality, and anxiety and depression quality of life among adolescents in Klang Valley, Malaysia. This study is a cross-sectional study; information was gathered from 353 secondary school students in the Klang Valley using a questionnaire. The instruments used in this study were the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI) Malay version, screen-based media usage (SCREENS-Q) and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) Malay version. The sampling method was stratified and convenience sampling method. The analysis study used the Smart Partial least squares (PLS) method to analyse the data. Using the Smart PLS technique, we examined the relationship between these variables. The study revealed that, screen time has a direct, positive, and significant impact on anxiety levels (Mean=0.134,β=0.123, p<0.01) and depression levels (Mean= 0.202, β=0.194, p<0.01 ). Moreover screen time has a low effect on sleep quality(Mean=0.128,β=0.117,p<0.05). However, the mediating factor, sleep quality, was not significant in the indirect effect of screen time with anxiety (Mean=0.047, β=0.040,p>0.05) and depression (Mean=0.044 β=0.043,p>0.05). This study highlights the importance of understanding the association between screen use, sleep quality, anxiety and depression. Notably, excessive screen time appears to be associated with poorer sleep quality, ultimately increasing anxiety and depression. Understanding the effects of excessive screen time on sleep and well-being may have a substantial impact on public health policies and interventions. Enacting policies that promote better screen habits and sleep hygiene could improve people's overall quality of life and well-being in the digital age. However, more longitudinal research is needed to confirm the causality of these relationships and investigate potential intervention strategies.