Work

Examining measurement discrepancies in adolescent screen media activity with insights from the ABCD study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Concerns about the accuracy of self-reported screen time persist due to discrepancies with objective measures. This study compared passive smartphone tracking via the "Effortless Assessment of Risk States'' (EARS) app with self-reported screen time from 495 adolescents. Based on self-reports, 94.26% of social media use occurred on smartphones. EARS-recorded social media use was higher (1.64 ± 1.93 h) than past-year self-report (1.44 ± 1.97 h; p = 0.037) but similar to post-sensing self-report (1.63 ± 1.93 h; p = 0.835). Higher picture vocabulary scores were associated with lower odds of under-reporting social media use (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.93-0.99). Both self-reported (β = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.11) and EARS (β = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.03-0.12) measures correlated with externalizing symptoms. They were also correlated with social media addiction (self-reported:β = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.10-0.20; EARS:β = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.11). However, past-year self-report uniquely correlated with internalizing symptoms (β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.09) and video game addiction (β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.10). These findings highlight the value of integrating self-report and objective measures in screen media use research.

Source: npj Mental Health Research

DOI: 10.1038/s44184-025-00131-z

Authors: Yihong Zhao, Xuewei Han, Kara S. Bagot, Susan F. Tapert, Marc N. Potenza, Martin P. Paulus

Institutions: Columbia University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California San Diego, Yale University, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Laureate Institute for Brain Research

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: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,390

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Awards: G1020259976, G1023219283, G1058358382, G1301500047, G1436251778, G1510635755, G1569016918, G1586463187, G1675493566, G1742849658, G2715786902, G2735337927, G2998093352, G3305455594, G343603955, G3438786812, G3563224455, G3738900353, G3755973507, G4066048162, G4180929035, G4241744443, G469525291, G5002640097, G5081895789, G5139799579, G5440146302, G5541667, G5976565686, G687916792, G6887863799, G6922259526, G6983123888, G7271102572, G7652160222, G771167098, G815084465, G8281824583, Use of advanced analytics to understand brain-behavior screen media activity relationships in ABCD data, G8679417706, G8762821959, G8865478933, G9000006386, G9000008241, G9000034221, G9000042425, G9000046731, G9000061868, G9000108491, G9000112882, G9000113866, G9000163168, G9000202101, G9000205938, G9000241459, G9000286149, G9000288936, 9/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT U MICHIGAN, 17/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT UCLA, 8/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT CHLA, 6/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT OHSU, 21/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT WUSTL, 2/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT UMB, G923039674

OpenAlex ID: W4410220464

FWCI: 16

Cites: 77

Cited by: 9

Related to: 10