‘Better a nearby friend than a far-away child’? Internet use and productive engagement: the mediating role of interactions with non-cohabiting children and friends
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study uses longitudinal data to investigate the association between internet use and productive engagement and examines whether interactions with non-cohabiting children and with friends independently mediate this relationship. Data for individuals aged 45 or older came from the 2015 and 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a nationally representative dataset. The propensity scores matching method was used to model the direct effects of internet use on productive engagement and the indirect effects on social interactions. We found that internet use was associated with a significant increase in two types of productive engagement: three core activities of productive engagement (caregiving, volunteering, and paid work) and three additional activities of productive engagement (leisure activities, physical activities, and learning activities). Internet use was related to more interactions with both non-cohabiting children and friends. Interactions with friends partially mediated the associations between internet use and both types of productive engagement, whereas interactions with non-cohabiting children did not play a mediating role. This study provides novel insights into how internet use impacts productive engagement in China, examining potential mediators. The findings advance our understanding of the field and offer valuable insights for future research, with implications for shaping social policies and services related to productive aging.
Authors: Yuanyuan Fu, Chenhong Peng
Institutions: Beijing Normal University, University of Hong Kong
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Award: G3260308269
OpenAlex ID: W4415258465