Work

Young Adolescents’ Digital Technology Use and Mental Health Symptoms: Little Evidence of Longitudinal or Daily Linkages

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines whether adolescents' digital technology use is associated with mental health symptoms (N=388) during early to mid-adolescence. Adolescents completed an initial Time 1 (T1) assessment in 2015, followed by a 14-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) via mobile phone in 2016-2017 which yielded 13,017 total observations over 5270 study days. Adolescents' T1 technology use did not predict later mental health symptoms. Adolescents' reported mental health was also not worse on days when they reported spending more versus less time on technology. Little was found to support daily quadratic associations (whereby adolescent mental health was worse on days with little or excessive use). Adolescents at higher risk for mental health problems also exhibited no signs of increased risk for mental health problems on higher technology use days. Findings from this EMA study do not support the narrative that young adolescents' digital technology usage is associated with elevated mental health symptoms.

Source: Clinical Psychological Science

DOI: 10.1177/2167702619859336

Authors: Michaeline Jensen, Madeleine J. George, Michael R. Russell, Candice L. Odgers

Institutions: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Purdue University West Lafayette, Pennsylvania State University, Duke University, University of California, Irvine

Language: English

Topic: Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Jacobs Foundation, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development