An ongoing and heated scientific debate pertains to the conceptualization and quantification of adolescents' problematic smartphone use (PSU). To address the limitations of existing surveys, the ...smartphone pervasiveness scale for adolescents (SPS-A) has been designed to measure the subjective frequency of smartphone usage during significant moments within daily routines. Given the weak correlations in prior literature between self-reported PSU metrics and objective use data, this study investigates the relationships between diverse self-reported objective metrics of smartphone engagement-that is duration, frequency, and count of notifications-and the SPS-A scale, employing a cohort of Swiss adolescents (
= 1396;
= 15.8, SD
= 0.81; 59% female). The findings reveal a substantial correlation between the total objectively measured duration of smartphone engagement and the SPS-A scale (
= .41 for iOS users and
= .42 for Android users). Moreover, a similar trend emerges as users are categorized by their level of objective use, with each category displaying a linear augmentation in smartphone pervasiveness levels. Instead, modest correlations emerge when considering the quantity of device unlocks and notifications. Noteworthy, no gender disparities emerged. These results add to our knowledge about the usefulness of the concept and measurement of smartphone pervasiveness: not only the SPS-A is a valid alternative to scales on "smartphone addiction" to capture non-pathological PSU, but it is also a better predictor of smartphone objective duration of use than self-reported measures. The correlation found between self-reported pervasiveness and actual use is discussed in light of the debate about the relevance of screen time in the study of PSU.
Based on unique datasets collected by the author in three northern italian regions’ schools (˜8000 students), the article describes how youth’s family background currently relates to their Internet ...use practices. The results show that nowadays the only indicators that show a linear relationship with social stratification are the use of the Internet for in-depth information searching and the breadth of Internet uses carried out frequently. Other variables such as the use of social networking sites, production of online content, gaming and the time spent online seem to have become widespread irrespectively of young people’s social origins. A third set of variables, concerning how pervasive the use of one’s smartphone is in social and personal life, shows an inverse relationship with social stratification: those that are more advantaged show a lower pervasiveness. Therefore, today the digital profile of students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds is characterized by a low level of information searching, low breadth of Internet uses and high pervasivity of mobile devices. On the one hand, this poses a challenge to traditional digital inequality theory; on the other, it calls for critical education interventions to prevent addictive behaviours.
This article outlines the main results and methodological challenges of a large-scale survey on actual digital skills. A test covering three main dimensions of digital literacy (theoretical, ...operational and evaluation skills) was administered to a random sample of 65 third-year high school classes, producing data on 980 students. Items include knowledge questions, situation-based questions and tasks to be performed online. A Rasch-type model was used to score the results. In agreement with the literature, the sample performed better in operational skills, while showing a particularly poor performance regarding evaluation skills (although for this dimension the test shows reliability issues). Through a robust regression analysis we investigate if a skills divide based on ascriptive differences, gender and family cultural background, exists among the students. It emerges that cultural background has a significant effect, which is stronger on operational skills, while gender shows a more definite impact on theoretical knowledge.
Public discourse about overuse as an undesired side effect of digital communication is growing. This article conceptually develops and empirically analyzes users’ perceived digital overuse (PDO) as a ...widespread social phenomenon sensitive to existing inequalities. In an age of digital communication abundance and closing Internet access divides, overuse has not been systematically investigated nor are its social disparities known. In a first step, PDO is demarcated from Internet addiction, theoretically defined, and operationalized. Then, the prevalence of perceived overuse is assessed in a representative population sample of Italian Internet users (N = 2,008) and predictors of digital overuse are tested. Results show that digital communication use and the level of social pressure to function digitally are positively related to PDO. Education is negatively associated with PDO and positively with digital communication use and social digital pressure. Overuse is emerging as a new dimension of digital inequality with implications for theory and future research in digital well-being.
In recent years a public debate has been growing around mobile media and young people, as research has found adverse relationships between the intensive use of smartphones and well-being in this age ...group. However, there is still a lack of structured interventions targeting teachers and schools on the issue. This paper shows the results of a pre-registered cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating the impact of a media education intervention focusing on screen time management and the conscious use of mobile devices. The impact of a teacher training course is assessed on their 10th grade students (789 treated, 2572 controls), looking at their smartphone use, digital skills, and subjective well-being. Post-intervention differences, controlling for baseline measures at wave 1, show a moderate but significant decrease in smartphone pervasiveness and problematic use among treated students, with girls displaying greater beneficial effects than boys on withdrawal symptoms. Girls also show an increase in subjective well-being. No effect is found on the level of digital skills measured with an ad-hoc test. These results highlight that media education interventions focused on screen time management and content-related digital skills can be effectively incorporated into daily teaching and are relevant for students’ well-being. The paper also offers practical indications to develop effective media education interventions in a constant connectivity environment.
•A teachers' training course on mobile media education is assessed (pre-registered RCT) on 10th-grade students (N = 3659).•Three main outcomes are measured: ii) problematic smartphone use, ii) digital competence and iii) general well-being.•Treated students show significant decrease in problematic smartphone use; no increase in digital competence and well-being.•Girls show relevant and bigger benefits also on digital competence and well-being.•Improving time and attention management related to smartphone use is a promising area for mobile media education.
Smartphones are the principal instrument for internet access among adolescents and pre-adolescents in many industrialized countries. However, research on the long-term correlates of age at first ...access to these devices concerning life outcomes is scarce. This study contributes to the literature by collecting data from 3,247 Italian students in grade 10. Through OLS and logistic regressions, we investigate socio-demographics’ role in predicting the age of first smartphone access and the associations between the age of access and selected life outcomes. The moderating effect of socio-demographics on such relationships is also investigated through multiple-interaction models. Results suggest that females and students from less-educated families are more likely to receive smartphones earlier. Early smartphone access is negatively associated with adolescents’ well-functioning. Finally, deferring access reduces the gender gap in language proficiency, digital skills and life satisfaction.
Choice inconsistency has long been studied in behavioral economics. In this article we critically review theories of media choice, showing that they have not explicitly dealt with this phenomenon. ...Although digitalization has recently made it more salient, the communication literature on inconsistent choice still remains highly fragmented. We draw on behavioral economics literature to address blind spots in our theorization of inconsistent media selection.
App-based persuasive technologies emerged as promising tools to promote sustainable travel behavior. However, the opt-in, self-selection framework characterizing their use in real-life conditions ...might actually lead to wrongly estimate their potential and actual impact in analyses that do not rely on strict randomized controlled trials (RCTs). To investigate evidence of such biases, we analyze mobility data gathered from users of a persuasive app promoting public transport and active mobility launched in 2018 in Bellinzona (Switzerland). We consider the users' baseline mobility data: km per day (total and by car) traveled during the app validation period, when behavior change motivational features were not enabled. To estimate the possible self-selection bias, we compare these data with the reference population, using data from the Swiss Mobility and Transport Census; to study the possible attrition bias, we look at the relations between baseline mobility and the number of weeks of app's active use. We find evidence of neither self-selection nor critical attrition biases. This strengthens findings by earlier non RCT-based analyses and confirms the relevance of app-based persuasive technologies for mobility behavior change.
•App-based persuasive technologies for behavior change are increasingly exploited to promote sustainable mobility.•Self-selection and attrition due to the opt-in framework may affect their actual impact and bias the estimate of this impact.•We analyze mobility data collected in an app-based behavior change intervention run in Southern Switzerland.•Comparison with census data on mobility and analysis of app use over time show no evidence of critical biases.•Further research is worth analyzing the app's actual impact and the reasons for the observed high drop-out rate.
PDF
