Publication Name	World Journal of Clinical Cases
Manuscript ID	120669
DOI	10.12998/wjcc.120669
Country	Egypt

Category	Pediatrics
Manuscript Type	Systematic Reviews
Article Title	Smartphone use health outcomes in children and adolescents: A systematic review of behavioral, developmental, and environmental risk pathways
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Nermin K Saeed, Adel Salah Bediwy, Yousif M Elbeltagi, Hosameldin A Bediwy and Reem Elbeltagi
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Chairman, Consultant, Head, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, 1 Hassan Radwan Street, Tanta 31511, Algharbia, Egypt. mbelrem@hotmail.com
Key Words	Problematic smartphone use; Obesity; Metabolic dysregulation; Sedentary behavior; Sleep disturbance; Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields; Neurocognitive function; Digital health; Pediatric public health
Core Tip	This review synthesizes multidisciplinary evidence demonstrating that excessive or dysregulated smartphone use in children and adolescents is consistently associated with sleep disruption, attentional dysregulation, emotional symptoms, musculoskeletal strain, visual complaints, and increased metabolic risk. Across domains, dose-response patterns and developmental vulnerability are evident, with early childhood and adolescence representing particularly sensitive periods. Importantly, behavioral mechanisms - especially sleep disturbance, sedentary displacement, and reinforcement-driven problematic smartphone use - appear to mediate most observed risks, whereas current evidence does not confirm serious radiofrequency electromagnetic field-related harm. These findings support a developmentally informed, context-sensitive digital health framework emphasizing sleep hygiene, structured limits, parental modeling, and early identification of problematic use.
Citation	Al-Beltagi M, Saeed NK, Bediwy AS, Elbeltagi YM, Bediwy HA, Elbeltagi R. Smartphone use health outcomes in children and adolescents: A systematic review of behavioral, developmental, and environmental risk pathways. World J Clin Cases 2026; In press DOI: https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.120669
PDF	120669-in-press.pdf

Received	2026-03-05 02:20
Peer-Review Started	2026-03-05 02:20
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-04-29 10:21
Return for Revision	2026-04-29 10:21
Revised	2026-04-30 22:15
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-07-06 03:34
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-07-06 06:26
Articles in Press	2026-07-06 06:26
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	2307-8960 (online)
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Copyright	©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
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