Childhood Leisure Time and Educational, Cognitive and Developmental Outcomes Across Technological Eras: A Scoping Review

Children’s leisure experiences have undergone substantial changes over recent decades owing to technological advancement, changing family structures, and evolving social environments. At the same time, concerns have grown regarding children’s educational attainment, cognitive development, and broader developmental outcomes. Although numerous studies have examined individual leisure activities such as physical activity, screen time, reading, and extracurricular participation, the evidence remains fragmented across disciplines, and no comprehensive synthesis has mapped childhood leisure as a multidimensional construct across technological eras. This scoping review aims to map and synthesise the breadth and characteristics of the available evidence examining the relationship between childhood leisure activities and educational, cognitive, and developmental outcomes. Specifically, the review will identify the leisure activities that have been investigated, the outcomes assessed, the methodological approaches used, and how the evidence has evolved across different technological eras. The review will also identify evidence gaps and priorities for future research. The review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews. Searches will be conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, CINAHL Complete, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus. Eligible studies will include primary quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research involving children and adolescents (0–18 years). Data will be synthesised using descriptive tables, evidence mapping, and narrative synthesis.