Lack of Green Areas and Children's Screen Time in Urban Peripheries: Socio-environmental Challenges in Light of the SDGs

DESAFIOS SOCIOAMBIENTAIS À LUZ DOS ODS

Abstract

The advance of urbanization in recent decades has brought profound transformations to the social and environmental dynamics of Brazilian cities. Among its most noticeable effects is growing socio-spatial inequality, expressed in the concentration of infrastructure and services in central areas, while the outskirts remain lacking in public facilities and green spaces. This lack directly impacts opportunities for leisure, socialization, and contact with nature, particularly impacting urban children. At the same time, the intensive use of digital technologies has transformed the ways we play, learn, and interact. Children from different social backgrounds spend increasingly more time in front of screens, a phenomenon that, although it has educational and cultural dimensions, takes on the contours of a public health problem when it replaces physical activities, outdoor play, and social interactions. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified this trend, increasing the time spent on electronic devices and further reducing access to public spaces. The combination of a lack of green infrastructure and increased screen time reflects not only behavioral changes but also structural inequalities that limit children's right to the city and nature. In this context, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDGs 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), offer a political and ethical framework for devising integrated solutions that reconcile urban planning, education, and public health. Therefore, this article presents an integrative literature review on the relationship between the lack of green spaces and increased screen time among children in peripheral urban contexts, in light of the SDGs. Twenty-four studies published between 2018 and 2024 in the SciELO, ERIC, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were analyzed. The results demonstrate an association between reduced green infrastructure and sedentary behaviors, mediated by socioeconomic factors, urban security, and unequal access to technology. It is concluded that intersectoral and integrated public policies, involving urban planning, environmental education and health promotion, are essential to foster healthier and more equitable lifestyles, especially in Brazilian urban peripheries.