scholarly journals Correction to: An Analysis of Problematic Media Use and Technology Use Addiction Scales – What Are They Actually Assessing?

Author(s):  
Adrian Abendroth ◽  
Douglas A. Parry ◽  
Daniel B. le Roux ◽  
Jana Gundlach
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor A. Burke ◽  
Emily R. Kutok ◽  
Shira Dunsiger ◽  
Nicole R. Nugent ◽  
John V. Patena ◽  
...  

Preliminary reports suggest that during COVID-19, adolescents’ mental health has worsened while technology and social media use has increased. Much data derives from early in the pandemic, when schools were uniformly remote and personal/family stressors related to the pandemic were limited. This cross-sectional study, conducted during Fall 2020, examines the correlation between mental wellbeing and COVID-19-related changes in technology use, along with influence of COVID-19-related stressors, school status (in-person versus remote), and social media use for coping purposes, among 978 U.S. adolescents. Results suggest self-reported daily social media and technology use increased significantly from prior to COVID-19 through Fall 2020. Increased social media use was significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms regardless of other theoretical moderators or confounders of mental health (e.g., demographics, school status, importance of technology, COVID-19-related stress). Despite literature suggesting that remote learning may result in adverse mental health outcomes, we did not find local school reopening to be associated with current depressive/anxiety symptoms, nor with COVID-19-related increases in technology use. Self-reported use of social media for coping purposes moderated the association between increased social media use and mental health symptoms; in other words, some social media use may have positive effects. Although much prior research has focused on social media use as a marker of stress, we also found that increased video gaming and TV/movie watching were also associated with internalizing symptoms, in accordance with others' work. Future research should explore in more granular detail what, if any, social media and technology use is protective during a pandemic, and for whom, to help tailor prevention efforts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 485-502
Author(s):  
Candice L. Odgers ◽  
Stephen M. Schueller ◽  
Mimi Ito

Adolescents spend much of their daily lives online, and fears abound that digital technology use, and social media in particular, is harming their social and emotional development. Findings to date do not support causal or robust associations between social media use and adolescents’ development. Instead, prior studies have produced a mix of small positive, negative, and often null associations. The narrative around social media and adolescent development has been negative, but empirical support for the story of increasing deficits, disease, and disconnection is limited. This article reviews what is known about the association between social media use and adolescent social and emotional well-being, identifies key limitations in current research, and recommends ways to improve science while also minimizing risk and creating opportunities for positive development in an increasingly digital and uncertain age.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liese Exelmans ◽  
Holly Scott

This study expands knowledge on the effects of technology use on sleep by (1) focusing onsocial media use in an adult sample, (2) investigating the difference between overall andnighttime-specific social media use with regards to sleep, and (3) exploring a vulnerabilityperspective. For the latter, the moderating roles of gender, age, and habitual social mediachecking behavior were examined. A representative quota sample of 584 adults (18-96 yearsold) participated in an online survey. Results indicated that 2 out of 3 adults used socialmedia, and that use both shortly before and in bed was prevalent. Only nighttime use wasassociated with poorer sleep quality. Age and habitual checking behavior moderated thisassociation, identifying younger adults and those with strong checking habits as possiblevulnerable groups for poor sleep. The findings are interpreted in light of existing research onmedia habits and problematic (social) media use.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Zendle

Background and AimsThe case for the existence of pathological video game and social media use is often supported by two arguments. First, that excessive usage of these technologies is particularly associated with psychopathological conditions such as depression and anxiety. Second, that specific features of these technologies make them particularly likely to be used to excess. However, it is presently unclear whether this is the case.DesignTwo large scale online surveys were conducted on representative samples of UK adults. The first (n=1430) investigated correlations between psychopathology and excessive engagement in a variety of common leisure pursuits including video gaming and social media use. The second (n=1184) examined whether video games and social media were more likely to be engaged in to excess than other common pursuits.Sample StudiedTwo nationally representative samples of UK adults aged 18+ were recruited via prolific.co, an online panel provider.MeasurementsExcessive engagement in a variety of activities were measured via adaptations of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale. Depression and anxiety were measured via administration of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 respectively.FindingsExcessive engagement in all measured activities was linked to both depression and anxiety. All relationships were of a clinically important magnitude. Using IGD criteria, excessive gaming was more prevalent than excessive engagement in other leisure pursuits. It is unclear whether this reflects actual differences in excessive use or limitations of the IGD symptoms. Relationships remained significant when self-criticism was accounted for, but were reduced in magnitude to potentially sub-clinical levels. ConclusionsLinks to psychopathology were similar across a wide variety of activities, suggesting that excessive technology use is not uniquely harmful to mental health. Additionally, the negative effects of excessive technology use on psychopathology are partly explained by self-criticism, highlighting the importance of this factor in the future measurement of behavioural overuse conditions. Using IGD criteria, excessive gaming is more prevalent than excessive engagement in other activities, which may reflect either the special nature of games, or problems with the IGD criteria.


Author(s):  
Joanna C. Yau ◽  
Branda T. Sun ◽  
Jason D. Moreno

Sleep is essential for physical and mental wellbeing, but many adults and adolescents do not get the recommended amount of sleep. Recently, studies have identified technology use as having negative impacts on sleep. This is concerning given that mobile technologies have permeated the lives of today's young adults and adolescents. First, the effects of social media use, both throughout the day and before bedtime, on sleep quantity and quality are synthesized. Second, the mechanisms through which social media use disrupts sleep, namely that 1) social media use displaces time spent sleeping, 2) that the content on social media is stimulating, and 3) that the blue light emitted by digital devices suppresses the production of melatonin, decreasing sleepiness are discussed. Third, the research designs and methods that were employed are explored. Fourth, future research directions are proposed. Finally, tips to improve sleep in the digital age are provided.


2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Naftel ◽  
Nicole A. Safiano ◽  
Michael I. Falola ◽  
Chevis N. Shannon ◽  
John C. Wellons ◽  
...  

Object The Internet and social media are powerful disseminators of medical information, providing new portals for patient care. The authors of this study evaluated current technology hardware, Internet, and social media use and their socioeconomic relationships among caregivers of children with hydrocephalus. Methods A written survey was completed in the neurosurgical clinics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham by 300 parents of children with shunted hydrocephalus between October 26, 2010, and July 26, 2011. Results Computer use (94.6%), Internet use (91.7%), smartphone use (56.9%), and Internet research on hydrocephalus (81.9%) were prevalent. However, for each of these four utilizations there was significantly lower access by caregivers of minority races (p = 0.04, 0.03, 0.002, and < 0.0001, respectively), lower income (p = 0.02, 0.01, < 0.0001, and < 0.0001, respectively), and lower level of education (p = 0.001, 0.002, < 0.0001, and 0.001, respectively). Personal use of social media was prevalent (95.1% of all Internet users) with use being more prevalent among less-educated than higher-educated caregivers (p = 0.017). Hydrocephalus-related social media use (59.5% of Internet users) was not associated with socioeconomic factors. For hydrocephalus education on the Internet, caregivers chose information websites such as Wikipedia or the Hydrocephalus Association as preferred platforms; these preferences were followed by use of social media websites. Facebook and YouTube were the preferred social media platforms for personal and hydrocephalus-related use. Parents indicate moderate skepticism about the trustworthiness of the Internet; only 21.7% always trust the online sources. Most parents (89.8%) say that they would visit neurosurgeon-recommended websites. Of Internet-using caregivers, 28.6% use the Internet or social media to find hydrocephalus support groups, and 34.8% have used the Internet to communicate with other caregivers who have children with similar conditions. Conclusions Technology hardware, the Internet, and social media are widely used with some skepticism by parents of children with shunted hydrocephalus. Caregivers are interested in physician-recommended Internet resources. Socioeconomic factors including race, income, and level of education reveal a disparity in access to some of these resources, although all groups have relatively high use. Unlike typical technology use, social media use is breaking down the digital divide among ethnic and socioeconomic groups.


Author(s):  
Steffen Lepa ◽  
Markus Seifert

Music listening in everyday life is nowadays typically characterized by trans-media use: Most young adults in Germany use several different technologies for accessing, storing, sharing, and listening to their music. Nevertheless, there exist two relatively homogenous large music-related media user groups within the younger birth-cohorts: The ‘Digital Mobilists’ exhibit a rather narrow ‘audio repertoire’, concentrating on radio, notebook, mobile devices, internal speakers and headphones. Conversely, the ‘Versatile Audiophiles’ have a broader audio repertoire encompassing also HiFi stereo units, various storage media, HiFi headphones and separate loudspeakers of various kinds. The paper is describing a mixed-methods study which tries to explain young adults’ membership in one of these two ‘communicative figurations’ both by a) logistic regression on socio-demographics, media socialization and musical taste preferences employing a first-year student sample as well as by b) analyzing six biographic-episodic interviews conducted with adolescents and emerging adults of both media user types in focus. On the one hand, our results show the ways in which the two identified everyday music listening modes are grounded in highly-ritualized, embodied situated practices with audio media technologies which are felt to enrich otherwise rather ‘non-musical’ social activities. On the other hand, the results demonstrate the importance of gender and social milieu, early music listening experiences with audio media and the apparently body-related implications of certain music genres for explaining and understanding habitual audio media use in later adult life.  


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany Joyce Allen ◽  
Zoe Ellen Stratman ◽  
Bradley R. Kerr ◽  
Qianqian Zhao ◽  
Megan A. Moreno

BACKGROUND Transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse (TNG) youth encounter barriers to psychosocial wellness and also describe exploring identities and communities online. Studies of cisgender youth connect increased digital technology use with loneliness and decreased body image. However, little is known about psychosocial factors associated with digital technology use among TNG compared to cisgender youth. OBJECTIVE Our goal in this study was to examine associations between psychosocial measures and digital technology use for cisgender and TNG youth. METHODS We surveyed a nationally representative sample of adolescents (ages 13-18) about psychosocial wellness and digital technology use. Psychosocial measures included assessment of body image, parental support, loneliness, well-being, and fear of missing out (FOMO). Digital media use assessments included the short Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS-3) and the Adolescent Digital Technology Interactions and Importance (ADTI) scale and subscales. The psychosocial outcomes were compared between gender groups while adjusting for age and parent social media use using PROC GLM. Stratified correlations were compared between gender identity groups for parent support, body image, loneliness, well-being, and FOMO compared with ADTI and PRIUSS-3 scores using PROC NLMIXED to compare the regression coefficients of standardized values between gender groups. All comparisons were adjusted for age and parent social media use. RESULTS Among 4575 adolescents, 53 (1.16%) self-identified as TNG youth. TNG youth had lower well-being (23.52 versus 26.78, P<.001), lower parent support (19.57 versus 23.44, P<.001), lower body image (13.72 versus 17.09, P<.001), and higher loneliness scores (9.01 versus 6.59, P<.001) compared to cisgender peers. In a pattern different from cisgender peers, problematic internet use scores for TNG youth correlated positively with body image (0.26 vs. -0.17, P=.003) and well-being (0.33 vs. -0.08, P=.002). Parental support also correlated positively with ADTI 2 scores for TNG youth (0.05), though correlated negatively with ADTI 2 scores for cisgender youth (-0.22, P=.04). CONCLUSIONS Overall, this study supports previous findings that show that TNG youth experience barriers to psychosocial wellness, and adds that this includes loneliness. This study also suggests that the correlation of PIU with both well-being and improved body image shows that PIU may not be unilaterally problematic amongst TNG youth, which may be because of specific digital media affordances that TNG youth engage. Whether this more complicated picture of PIU applies to other minority populations besides TNG youth will be an important area for future research.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Hamilton ◽  
Woanjun Lee

BACKGROUND Social media use is associated with poor sleep among adolescents, including daytime sleepiness, which impacts adolescents’ physical and mental health. Less research has examined whether specific social media behaviors, such as checking and posting, and adolescents’ perceived importance of social media for social purposes are associated with sleepiness. Identifying whether certain adolescents are more at risk or protected from the effects of SM on sleepiness than others may inform future interventions around sleep and social media. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to examine the association between social media use frequency and importance and daytime sleepiness, and whether perceived importance of social media for social interactions and parental rules around bedtime technology exacerbated these relationships. METHODS This cross-sectional, survey study was conducted with a sample of 4,153 adolescents from across the United States. Qualtrics was used to collect data via panel recruitment from a national sample representing the US demographics of teens aged 12-17 years old. Participants completed measures of daytime sleepiness, frequency of social media checking and posting, and importance of social media for social interactions. Parents reported whether they had a household rule around bedtime media/screen use. Hierarchical regressions and moderation analyses were conducted, covarying for age, gender, and age of first smartphone. RESULTS Participants had a mean age of 14.64 (SD 1.66) years in grades 6-12, and 46% identified as female and 68% as White. Results indicated that adolescents who posted (B = .70, SE = .04, p <.001) or checked (B = .76, SE = .04, p <.001) on social media more frequently or who perceived social media to be more important for social affordances (B = .36, SE = .02, p <.001) were more likely to have daytime sleepiness. Moderation analyses indicated that the relationship between social media frequency and importance and daytime sleepiness was exacerbated by higher levels of perceived social media importance (B = .04, SE = .01, p <.001) and for those who did not have household rules around bedtime technology use (Frequency: B = -.34, SE = .09, p <.001; Importance: B = -.16, SE = .04, p <.001) . CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that adolescents who use social media more frequently and perceive social media to be more important for social interactions are more likely to have daytime sleepiness. Adolescents with more social media use are more likely to be affected if SM is more important for social affordances, or if their parents did not have household rules around bedtime technology use. Findings may guide future prevention and intervention programs designed to reduce daytime sleepiness, particularly focused on social media behaviors and bedtime technology rules.


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