Abstract
BackgroundRecently, an increased trend toward non-drinking among adolescents has been observed in several countries. The aim of the present study is to evaluate a common suggestion in literature, that adolescents do not drink alcohol because they spend more time on the internet, monitored at home, by examining associations between internet activities (social media/chatting and computer gaming) and non-drinking.MethodsA health questionnaire was distributed to all 9th graders (15–16 years) in a mid-sized Swedish county in 2008, 2010 and 2012. In total, 7089 students returned the questionnaire.ResultsIn contrast to the suggestion, no association was found between total time spent on computers and non-drinking. Social media/chatting was robustly associated with a decreased probability of non-drinking across the three survey years. On the other hand, computer gaming during weekends only (OR = 1.74, CI = 1.13–2.69) or both on weekdays and weekends increased the probability of non-drinking (OR = 1.82, CI = 1.31–2.54) in 2012 only. However, neither social media/chatting nor computer gaming was associated with the increased trend of non-drinking from 2008 to 2012.ConclusionsInternet activities were in general not associated with non-drinking among adolescents aged 15–16 years in Sweden. Although, a weak positive association between computer gaming and non-drinking was found in 2012, this effect benefited the vast majority of the boys. The larger alcohol use among those with extensive social media use/chatting may indicate that these online platforms are arenas where adolescents are exposed for positive alcohol preferences and alcohol advertising without parental supervision.
Highlights
The proportion of non-drinking adolescents has, in the past decade, increased in many European countries,[1,2] the USA1,3 and in Australia.[4]
The aim of the present study is to examine whether different internet activities, including total time spent on computers, social media use and computer gaming, are associated with non-drinking in a large population-based sample of 7089 Swedish 9th graders (15–16 years)
Detailed analyses showed in particular an increase from 5.6 to 44.8% among boys that chatted/used social media !5 hours/day
Summary
The proportion of non-drinking adolescents has, in the past decade, increased in many European countries,[1,2] the USA1,3 and in Australia.[4]. The aim of the present study is to evaluate a common suggestion in literature, that adolescents do not drink alcohol because they spend more time on the internet, monitored at home, by examining associations between internet activities (social media/chatting and computer gaming) and non-drinking. The aim of this article was to provide a content analysis of the national policies presently used to address child maltreatment and provide an overview of prevention practices being employed in countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. This analysis will aid in identifying, which policy areas still require further work to prevent child maltreatment. There are as of yet, several key areas, which warrant increased attention in future policy-making
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