Adolescent Technology Use Research Articles

Taking a nuanced look at adolescent technology use and negative affect: the protective role of preparedness.

Adolescents are online more than any other age group, with the majority of their time on social media. Increases in technology use among adolescents have heightened conversations regarding its effects on their negative affect. There have been mixed findings regarding the relationship between technology use and adolescent negative affect; some studies present a negative association or no association, and some show a positive association. To clarify this relationship, we propose moving away from asking only how much adolescents use technology to asking how and what they use it for. We employed the Multidimensional Healthy Technology Use and Social Media Habits Scale (MTECH) and adapted forms of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in a sample of 7,234 middle and high school students to assess the extent to which students feel prepared to use technology safely and successfully and whether this impacts the association between the amount of various types of technology they use and their negative affect. We conducted eight moderated regression analyses that, in some models, revealed preparedness had a protective role in the association between technology use and negative affect. In these models, at all levels of technology use, adolescents with higher levels of preparedness experienced lower levels of negative affect than their peers; however, in some instances, this effect was diminished for those using technology with high frequency. These findings support the notion that the association between technology and negative affect is not best modeled as a direct relationship, and instead that we must consider important moderators of this complex association.

“Mature Enough to Handle it?”: Gendered Parental Interventions in and Adolescents’ Reactions to Technology Use During the Pandemic

This study investigated how teenagers reacted to parental regulation of technology. Using longitudinal dyadic interviews with 24 teenagers and their 21 parents in two predominantly white middle-class communities, we explored how teenagers used technology during the COVID-19 pandemic and the differential consequences parental interventions had for teens’ well-being and confidence with technology. Parents’ narratives and actions about technology use were deeply gendered. Boys felt confident about their self-regulation of technology, and parents did not substantially limit boys’ technology use during the pandemic. Girls were less confident about their ability to self-regulate and either worked with their mothers to manage technology, distrusted parents who monitored them, or lacked access to virtual hangout spaces such as video games and social media. The findings illustrate how parent-teen dynamics around adolescent technology use can produce short-term gendered inequalities in teenagers’ well-being and result in long-term disadvantages for girls.

Digital Technology and Media Use by Adolescents: Latent Class Analysis.

BackgroundDigital technology and media use is integral to adolescents’ lives and has been associated with both positive and negative health consequences. Previous studies have largely focused on understanding technology behaviors and outcomes within adolescent populations, which can promote assumptions about adolescent technology use as homogeneous. Furthermore, many studies on adolescent technology use have focused on risks and negative outcomes. To better understand adolescent digital technology use, we need new approaches that can assess distinct profiles within study populations and take a balanced approach to understanding the risks and benefits of digital technology use.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to identify profiles of adolescent technology use within a large study population focusing on four evidence-based constructs: technology ownership and use, parental involvement, health outcomes, and well-being indicators.MethodsAdolescent-parent dyads were recruited for a cross-sectional web-based survey using the Qualtrics (Qualtrics International, Inc) platform and panels. Technology use measures included ownership of devices, social media use frequency, and the Adolescents’ Digital Technology Interactions and Importance scale. Parent involvement measures included household media rules, technology-related parenting practices, parent social media use frequency, and the parent-child relationship. Health outcome measures included physical activity, sleep, problematic internet use, and mental health assessments. Well-being indicators included mental wellness, communication, and empathy. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify distinct profile groups across the aforementioned 4 critical constructs.ResultsAmong the 3981 adolescent-parent dyads recruited, adolescent participants had a mean age of 15.0 (SD 1.43) years; a total of 46.3% (1842/3981) were female, 67.8% (2701/3981) were White, and 75% (2986/3981) lived in a household with an income above the poverty line. The LCA identified 2 discrete classes. Class 1 was made up of 62.8% (2501/3981) of the participants. Class 1 participants were more likely than Class 2 participants to report family-owned devices, have lower technology importance scores, have household technology rules often centered on content, have positive parent relationships and lower parent social media use, and report better health outcomes and well-being indicators.ConclusionsFindings from this national cross-sectional survey using LCA led to 2 distinct profile groups of adolescent media use and their association with technology use and parent involvement as well as health and well-being outcomes. The two classes included a larger Class 1 (Family-Engaged Adolescents) and a smaller Class 2 (At-Risk Adolescents). The findings of this study can inform interventions to reinforce positive technology use and family support.

The impact of technology use on adolescents' leisure reading preferences

AbstractThere is worldwide concern about the decline in children and adolescent enjoyment of reading as documented by international and national surveys, with smartphones and other technologies often blamed for the decline. Yet, with recent rapid improvements in technologies for reading, the accelerated adoption of devices for learning during the pandemic and increased access to e‐books through the public library system in Singapore, the relationship between adolescent technology use and reading may be more complex than is typically painted in popular press. This mixed‐methods study seeks to make current an understanding of adolescent reading in relation to technology by exploring adolescents' preferred reading devices, their use of technology for reading and their use of public e‐resources for reading. In this study, adolescents preferred using their smartphones over print forms for reading and preferred to read social media online. E‐books accessed freely through the public library were under‐utilised, and adolescents reported lack of knowledge or experience about how to look for reading resources online. Findings suggest an intentional and nuanced approach is needed to create an ecosystem of opportunities for adolescents to have meaningful reading experiences in print and digitally.

Specification curve analysis shows that social media use is linked to poor mental health, especially among girls

An important 2019 paper applied a novel analytic technique called Specification Curve Analysis (SCA) to data from three large-scale community samples to investigate the association between adolescent technology use and mental health/well-being. The paper concluded that an association exists but is tiny, with median betas between −0.01 and −0.04. This association was reported to be smaller than links between mental health and various innocuous variables in the datasets such as eating potatoes, and therefore to be of no practical significance. The current paper re-ran SCA on the same datasets while applying alternative analytic constraints on the model specification space, including: 1) examining specific digital media activities (e.g., social media) separately rather than lumping all “screen time” including TV together; 2) examining boys and girls separately, rather than examining them together; 3) excluding potential mediators from the list of controls; and 4) treating scales equally (rather than allowing one scale with many subscales to dominate all others). We were able to reproduce the original results with the original configurations. When we used the revised constraints, we found several much larger relationships than previously reported. In particular: among girls, there is a consistent and substantial association between mental health and social media use (median betas from −0.11 to −0.24). These associations were stronger than links between mental health and binge drinking, sexual assault, obesity, and hard drug use, suggesting that these associations may have substantial practical significance as many countries are experiencing rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among teenagers and young adults.

How Our Technology Use Changed in 2020: Perspectives From Three Youths.

The Technology and Adolescent Mental Wellness program (TAM) is a research program with the primary goals of promoting research on the topic of adolescent technology use and mental wellness, creatively disseminating that research, and fostering community among stakeholders. Our foundational question is this: How can technology support adolescent mental wellness? Youth are key stakeholders in pursuit of this foundational question. In this commentary, we invited 3 members of TAM’s youth advisory board to respond to the following question: “How did your technology use change in 2020?” Jessica, Jared, and Babayosimi describe their technology use during COVID-19 as dynamic, and neither uniformly positive nor negative. Further, these 3 youths differ in their perceptions of the same technologies—social media and online school, for example—as well as their perceived ability to self-regulate use of those technologies. We invite you to weigh these perspectives just as we do at TAM—not as empirical findings in themselves, but as examples of youth ideas for future empirical investigation.

Identifying gaps in training on sexual health for caregivers of adolescents in foster care

ABSTRACT Youth in foster care are a vulnerable group of adolescents that experience worse sexual health outcomes, including higher rates of STIs, HIV, and early and repeat pregnancy, compared to youth not in foster care. Caregivers of youth in foster care may play a critical role in improving the sexual health of youth in their care. However, many caregivers of youth in foster care do not talk to youth about sexual health, and few studies have directly asked caregivers about the trainings they may need to provide better sex education to youth. This exploratory study examined the training needs of caregivers of youth in foster care. Participants were a state-wide sample of 347 caregivers of youth in foster care in North Carolina, United States, who completed an online survey that asked about training needs. Almost half (49.0%) of participants state that they do not feel fully prepared to parent youth in foster care. Seventy-two percent of participants indicated they would like to receive more training on at least one of the three topics relevant to adolescent relationships and sexual health. By topic, the percentage of participants who desired more information included: peer pressure and friendships (48.1%); sexuality and sexual risk reduction (e.g. healthy relationships, pregnancy, STIs) (43.8%); and puberty and physical development (40.3%). Another area that most participants expressed a desire for more training was adolescent technology use (56.2%) – which is relevant to adolescent relationships and sexuality given a rise in the use of technology-based platforms to meet relationship partners, look at pornography, and share sexual messages and photos. Many caregivers desire additional training on how to engage with youth about sexuality and sexual risk reduction. Training caregivers of youth in foster care may be an effective strategy for improving the sexual health outcomes of this vulnerable population of youth.

A life course framework for understanding digital technology use in the transition to adulthood.

Rapid increases in young people’s time spent using digital technology (“screen time”) in the mobile internet era have led to anxiety about long-term effects. This mixed-method US study examines childhood experiences and contextual factors that shape screen time in the transition to adulthood. We recursively analyzed 56 qualitative interviews with young adults in a large metropolitan area in 2016–2018 and prospective longitudinal nationally representative survey data (PSID-CDS-2007 and PSID-TAS-2017) to articulate a conceptual framework of life course influences on young adults’ time spent using digital technologies. Inductive qualitative analyses built an initial framework, which was assessed with quantitative data, then further refined with qualitative analyses. Young adults drew on life course perspectives when discussing influences on their current digital technology use. As they suggested, in quantitative analyses more frequent adolescent technology use and greater device access weakly predicted increased technology frequency. Current school enrollment and several current peer factors predicted technology time. Interviewees emphasized the influence of parenting around technology use during adolescence, but parenting did not predict young adult screen time in quantitative analyses. Further qualitative analyses suggested that instead of influencing current technology time, earlier parenting shaped current emotional responses and imagined future technology use. We found young adults’ technology use frequency to be informed by earlier experiences but highly malleable. Past technology use and current social contexts matter, but only up to a point. Moving beyond time use to incorporate emotional responses and future plans can better capture how the life course shapes technology use.

Not at the dinner table – take it to your room: adolescent reports of parental screen time rules

Parents today are faced with the challenge of regulating their children’s technology use in a society where the screens are becoming more pervasive. While the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued guidelines for parental screen-time rules, few studies to date have examined the presence of parental screen-time rules, especially from an adolescent’s perspective. The purpose of this study was to consider the frequency of particular parental screen-time rules as reported by adolescents and identify the constructs that are present in these rules. A nationally representative survey suggested that parents provide three different types of screen time rules in decreasing frequency: general guidance, screen-free times, and screen-free zones. These findings highlight the areas where parents might be advised to develop rules and offer a foundation for future research and intervention initiatives related to parental involvement in adolescent technology use.

Adolescent Technology, Sleep, and Physical Activity Time in Two US Cohorts.

The advent of internet-enabled mobile digital devices has transformed US adolescent technology use over the last decade, yet little is known about how these changes map onto other health-related behaviors. We provide a national profile of how contemporary technology use fits into adolescents' daily health lifestyles compared to the previous generation, with particular attention to whether and for whom technology use displaces time spent in sleep or physical activity. Time diaries were collected from 11-17 year olds in 2002-03 (N=1,139) and 2014-16 (N=527) through the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement. Contemporary adolescents spent 40 minutes more per week in technology-focused activities, but their composition was more varied compared to the earlier cohort. Contemporary technology use was predictive of less time in physical activity, and adolescents engaged in frequent video game play spent less time in physical activity compared to peers with other technology use profiles.

Affection and Abuse: Technology Use in Adolescent Romantic Relationships

Communication technologies benefit romantic relationships in terms of connection, but can also bring potential harm. Positive relational outcomes of adolescent technology use (i.e., increased emotional connection) have been examined separately from negative outcomes (i.e., unwanted monitoring of whereabouts) in previous research. However, the current study utilized hierarchical multiple regression to explore whether variance in both positive and negative relational outcomes could be explained by time spent online. Results suggest that time spent online predicts both positive relationship quality and cyber dating abuse after controlling age and gender. Implications include a greater understanding of the intersection between technology and adolescent relationships.

Emotional Competency, Communication, And Bullying In Adolescent Technology Use

Emotional Competency, Communication, And Bullying In Adolescent Technology Use

Digital Media, Participatory Politics, and Positive Youth Development.

Research on the social implications of adolescent technology use often focuses on identifying and preventing risk. However, adolescence is also a time of rapidly expanding capacities, expectations of autonomy, and identity exploration. In this article, we highlight findings from research in the field of youth civic development, which point to the importance of youth civic engagement during adolescence for later adult civic engagement as well as for promoting positive developmental outcomes. Researchers suggest that certain forms of Internet use (such as information seeking, social network site use, media production, and participation in online communities) promote civic engagement and that digital tools play an important role in youth empowerment efforts. In this article, we suggest a need for greater attention to efforts to promote digital media competencies among adolescents and for greater coordination of research on adolescent risk and adolescent autonomy and empowerment related to Internet use.

Adolescents who perceive fewer consequences of risk-taking choose to switch off games later at night.

Technology use by adolescents close to bedtime commonly leads to sleep problems, and individual factors predicting those at heightened risk are under studied. We investigated whether risk-taking perceptions influenced length of adolescent technology use at bedtime and whether being aware of time moderated this association. We recruited 16 males and five females, with a mean age of 17.6years, from school and university populations to assess adolescent technology use and bedtimes. They were assessed for trait risk-taking using the Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Events questionnaire and had unrestrained access to a video game on two separate nights, counterbalanced for clock present or clock absent conditions. The adolescents' self-selected bedtime provided a measure of the level of technology use and was the dependent variable. Adolescents who perceived fewer negative consequences of risky activities on the Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Events played the video game longer and went to bed later than those who perceived more negative consequences (p=0.03). There was no influence on bedtimes from perceived benefits of risk-taking or clock presence. Adolescents who perceived fewer negative consequences of risk-taking were more likely to stay up later using technology, facing a heightened risk of displaced sleep.

Adolescent Technology Use: Profiles of Distinct Groups and Associated Risky Behaviors

Introduction: Adolescents make regular use of a wide range of technologies, such as console video games, mobile phones and a variety of Internet applications. Although this usage is not problematic for most individuals, some adolescents do use them excessively. Objective: The main objective of this article is to explore the presence of clusters within a sample of adolescents based on dimensions associated with risky behaviors (substance use, gambling and delinquency) and problematic use of technologies (Internet and console video games). Methods: The sample consists of 1,870 adolescents in the 14-18 year age group who were recruited in French-language high schools in Quebec (Canada). Results: The main results showed that one in ten adolescents was a high Internet user. A cluster analysis identified three groups of participants: non-problematic boys, non-problematic girls, and adolescents with multiple problems. The latter group included all of the high Internet users and some high video game users. These participants had the highest severity scores for substance use and delinquency and received higher scores for psychological distress, impulsivity and sensation seeking. Conclusions: These results support the presence of a subgroup of adolescents with high levels of co-occurring risky behaviors and suggest that excessive use of technology may also be a characteristic of this group.

The Role of Technology on Young Adolescent Development: Implications for Policy, Research and Practice

This National Science Foundation funded qualitative study highlights unique features of adolescent technology use and its impact on the developmental maturational processes of early adolescence. One hundred twenty-eight 13- and 14-year-old students were interviewed about their information technology (IT) use. The most salient feature of the interview data is that the students perceived technology as integral to all aspects of their everyday life experience. In particular, they understood the necessity of using technology for the development of their cognitive/academic skills, and they spoke about the need to have technology skills for their future careers. They also seemed to understand how IT helped them develop psychosocially, especially in the areas of communication and relationship development. Throughout the interviews, these young adolescents expressed pleasure and pride in their self-reported high level of technoliteracy. Their voices can help expand our understanding of adolescent development in the digital age, and suggest implications for policy, practice, and research.