L’utilizzo dei media digitali in un campione di bambini e adolescenti attraverso il questionario Media Activity Form

Abstract

Background - Several studies have investigated the use of digital media in developmental age, mainly focusing on Internet or video games addiction in adolescence. However, few studies have investigated the time spent by children and young people on different types of digital media and their impact on adaptive behaviour. Objectives - On the base of parent and child reports the current study aimed to investigate the use of different digital media in Italian children and adolescents, aged six to eighteen, and their impact on adaptive behaviour as well, and to assess its association with socio-demographic factors. Material and methods - 901 parents and 574 children were recruited in ten schools in Northern Italy. The parents filled in a socio-demographic form and the “Media Activity Form” (MAF-G), while adolescents filled in a youth version of the “Media Activity Form” (MAF-R). Results - Overall, the activities carried out by children (6-11 years old) are mainly focused on viewing films/TV series and using video games, while those of adolescents are mainly related to listening to music and messaging. Parents estimated a lower amount of time spent on digital media by their children compared to that reported by their children. Finally, significant differences emerged in relation to male gender, preadolescence, low socio-economic level, low maternal education and divorced/separated parents, showing that participants belonging to such categories spent longer time on different digital media. Conclusions - The results contributed to improve the knowledge on the use of digital media in children and adolescents, with useful clinical implications for interventions.