Abstract
ObjectivesIncreases in electronic media communication (EMC) and decreases in face-to-face peer contact in the evening (FTF) have been thought to explain the recent decline in adolescent substance use (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis). This study addresses this hypothesis, by examining associations between (time trends in) EMC, FTF, and substance use in more than 25 mainly European countries.MethodsUsing 2002–2014 data from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, we ran multilevel logistic regression analyses to investigate the above associations.ResultsNational declines in substance use were associated with declines in FTF, but not with increases in EMC. At the individual level, both EMC and FTF related positively to substance use. For alcohol and cannabis use, the positive association with EMC was stronger in more recent years. Associations between EMC and substance use varied across countries, but this variation could not be explained by the proportion of young people using EMC within countries.ConclusionsOur research suggests that the decrease in FTF, but not the increase in EMC, plays a role in the recent decrease in adolescent substance use.
Highlights
Since the early 2000s, two impactful parallel transitions have taken place in the daily lives of adolescents across Europe and North America
National declines in substance use were associated with declines in face-to-face peer contact in the evening (FTF), but not with increases in electronic media communication (EMC)
For alcohol and cannabis use, the positive association with EMC was stronger in more recent years
Summary
Since the early 2000s, two impactful parallel transitions have taken place in the daily lives of adolescents across Europe and North America. Livingston 2014; Twenge 2017) They propose that EMC reduces the time adolescents spend face-to-face (FTF) with peers. While the displacement hypothesis predicts that increases over time in EMC are associated with decreases over time in FTF and substance use, the stimulation hypothesis (Valkenburg and Peter 2007a) suggests the opposite. It proposes that adolescents who are active users of EMC, spend more face-to-face time with their friends, because Internet-based communication technologies encourage communication with existing friends EMC may be associated with more rather than less substance use
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