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      A Large-Scale Test of the Goldilocks Hypothesis : Quantifying the Relations Between Digital-Screen Use and the Mental Well-Being of Adolescents

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      Psychological Science
      SAGE Publications

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          Abstract

          Although the time adolescents spend with digital technologies has sparked widespread concerns that their use might be negatively associated with mental well-being, these potential deleterious influences have not been rigorously studied. Using a preregistered plan for analyzing data collected from a representative sample of English adolescents ( n = 120,115), we obtained evidence that the links between digital-screen time and mental well-being are described by quadratic functions. Further, our results showed that these links vary as a function of when digital technologies are used (i.e., weekday vs. weekend), suggesting that a full understanding of the impact of these recreational activities will require examining their functionality among other daily pursuits. Overall, the evidence indicated that moderate use of digital technology is not intrinsically harmful and may be advantageous in a connected world. The findings inform recommendations for limiting adolescents' technology use and provide a template for conducting rigorous investigations into the relations between digital technology and children's and adolescents' health.

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          Most cited references23

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          Social Consequences of the Internet for Adolescents: A Decade of Research

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            The relationship between frequency of Facebook use, participation in Facebook activities, and student engagement

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              Physical activity, leisure-time screen use and depression among children and young adolescents.

              Adolescent mental disorders remain a relatively neglected area of research, despite evidence that these conditions affect youth disproportionately. We examined associations between physical activity, leisure-time screen use and depressive symptoms among Australian children and adolescents. Large cross-sectional observational study. Self-reported physical activity and leisure-time screen behaviours, and depressive symptoms using the Short Mood and Feeling Questionnaire were assessed in 8256 students aged 10-16 years (mean age=11.5 years, SD=0.8). Thirty three percent of the sample reported moderate to high depressive symptoms, with rates higher among females (OR=1.18; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.36; p=0.001). Increased opportunities to be active at school outside class (OR=0.70; 0.58, 0.85; p<0.001), being active in physical education classes (OR=0.77; 0.69, 0.86; p<0.001), greater involvement in sports teams at school (OR=0.77; 0.67, 0.88; p<0.001) and outside of school (OR=0.84; 0.73, 0.96; p=0.01) were all independently associated with lower odds for depressive symptoms. Meeting recommended guidelines for physical activity (OR=0.62; 0.44, 0.88; p=0.007) and, for 12-14 year olds, leisure-time screen use (OR=0.77; 0.59, 0.99; p=0.04) were also independently associated with lower odds for depressive symptoms. Higher levels of physical activity among children and young adolescents, and lower levels of leisure-time screen use among young adolescents, are associated with lower depressive symptoms. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the causal relationships between these variables. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Psychological Science
                Psychol Sci
                SAGE Publications
                0956-7976
                1467-9280
                December 19 2016
                January 13 2017
                : 28
                : 2
                : 204-215
                Article
                10.1177/0956797616678438
                28085574
                ffb6fcb1-ed23-49a7-8d88-abf50c1aa528
                © 2017

                http://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license

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