Multidimensional predictors of adolescents' nonacademic digital media use in the United States: Insights from a bioecological perspective

Abstract

Using the revised bioecological model, we examined whether three broad factors predict adolescents' nonacademic media use, with the exception of TV: (a) process factors that highlight a child's fundamental and proximal interactional activities (e.g., eating meals together); (b) person factors (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity); and (c) contextual factors that delineate a child's immediate physical and social environments (such as family, school, and community). By analyzing a nationally representative cohort (N = 22,454) of U.S. parents/primary caregivers who completed surveys regarding their children, we identified specific process-person-contextual factors that predict adolescents' nonacademic screen time. Factors that positively predict screen time include, e.g., age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, anxiety. Those that negatively predict screen time include, e.g., sleep, physical activity, father's physical health, mother's mental health, eating meals together, sharing ideas with parents, the child's active participation in school activities and community service, school safety, and emotional support for parents. Further, we found one age-related developmental process; the beneficial impact of meal sharing on media use was more pronounced in younger adolescents. This underscores the importance of exploring not only individual characteristics but also the broader process and contextual factors that shape adolescents' nonacademic media use. Prior state of knowledgePrior research on adolescents' screen time primarily examined risk or protective factors at the individual level. In contrast, understanding the nuanced interplay among individual, familial, and broader contextual factors in shaping nonacademic media consumption is limited.Novel contributionsWe identified a comprehensive but understudied group of process, personal, and contextual factors and their intricate interactions that are pivotal in adolescents' media use. We also made critical theoretical contributions regarding family functioning in the promotion of healthy media practices.Practical implicationsOur results have important implications for effective and holistic interventions that support healthy media-use practices in adolescents. These include the promotion of adolescents' self-regulatory skills, healthy family lifestyles at home, and diverse activities at school and within the community.