Abstract
The primary goal of this longitudinal study was to examine whether media use predicts adolescent self-competence and/or whether adolescent self-competence predicts media use. The sample included 1,031 10th and 11th grade boys and girls from the United States. The adolescents completed a self-report questionnaire in 2007 and 2008 to assess their media use (talking and texting on the phone, listening to music, e-mailing/IMing, playing video games, and working on the computer) and self-competence (social competence, scholastic competence, athletic competence, and perceived physical appearance). Path analysis results revealed that media use had a minimal effect on adolescent self-competence. In contrast, adolescent self-competence consistently predicted media use. Results from this study highlight the need to examine both directions of influence between adolescent media use and adjustment.
Highlights
Current theories of human development purport that the individual and the context influence one another in order to produce development
Academic competence was negatively related to text messaging and athletic competence was positively related to playing video games
Consistent with the work of Durkin and Barber (2002) and Ohannessian (2009), results from this study suggest that media use may be associated with positive adolescent adjustment
Summary
Current theories of human development (e.g., developmental systems theory; Lerner et al, 2011) purport that the individual and the context influence one another in order to produce development. Computer games, watching television, and talking on the phone have been negatively associated with academic performance (Durkin, & Barber, 2002; Gentile, et al, 2004). Time spent watching television and playing video games has been linked to physical inactivity, weight, and body fat during adolescence (Koezuka, Koo, Allison, Adlaf, Dwyer, Faulkner, & Goodman, 2006; Marshall, Biddle, Gorely, Cameron, & Murdey, 2004). The use of the Internet has been found to be related to adolescent psychological problems (loneliness, depression, anxiety) as well (Kraut, Patterson, Lundmark, Kiesler, Mukopadhyay, & Scherlis, 1998) and recent research indicates that more frequent media use (watching television, text messaging, and e-mailing) is associated with earlier and heavier substance use during adolescence (Ohannessian, 2009)
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