From dusk to dawn: examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures study
Abstract Background Although evening screen time is thought to impair subsequent sleep, current measures are limited to questionnaires which seem unlikely to accurately assess screen time in youth. Given the ubiquitous nature of digital devices, improving measurement of screen time is required befor...
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| Format: | Article |
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01698-0 |
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| author | Bradley Brosnan Kim A. Meredith-Jones Jillian J. Haszard Shay-Ruby Wickham Barbara C. Galland Takiwai Russell-Camp Rachael W. Taylor |
| author_facet | Bradley Brosnan Kim A. Meredith-Jones Jillian J. Haszard Shay-Ruby Wickham Barbara C. Galland Takiwai Russell-Camp Rachael W. Taylor |
| author_sort | Bradley Brosnan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Although evening screen time is thought to impair subsequent sleep, current measures are limited to questionnaires which seem unlikely to accurately assess screen time in youth. Given the ubiquitous nature of digital devices, improving measurement of screen time is required before related health effects can be appropriately determined. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify screen time before sleep using video camera footage. Methods This repeated-measures observational study in healthy adolescents (11–14 years) from Dunedin, New Zealand measured screen time on four evenings over one week in the home environment from March-December 2021. Wearable and stationary PatrolEyes video cameras captured screen time from two hours before bedtime until sleep and manually coded for device type (phone, tablet, laptop computer, desktop computer, handheld gaming console, gaming console, television and other) and screen activity (watching, listening, reading, educational/creative, browsing, communication, social media, video gaming, multitasking) using a reliable coding schedule (κ ≥ 0.8). Descriptive findings are reported. Findings Among the 83 participants (mean 12.3 [SD 1.0] years, 42% female, 52% New Zealand European, 37% Māori [indigenous]), 82 used screens in the two hours before bed on 308 of 344 (90%) nights for a mean of 54.4 min (SD 25.5). Televisions (median 37 min, 56% of nights), phones (19 min, 64% nights), and multitasking using multiple devices (19 min, 48% nights) were most commonly used (> 75% of adolescents). Once in bed but before trying to sleep, 58% of adolescents engaged in screen time for 17 (26.3) minutes on 36% of nights. The most common screen activities were watching (32.5%), social media (26.5%) and communication (20.5%). Even after attempting sleep, 32.5% of participants used screens for 8.0 min (median) on 16% of nights, mostly listening on phones. Conclusions Objective video cameras offer detailed insight into evening screen habits, capturing frequency, content, and duration. Youth frequently engage with screens before bed and throughout the night on a range of activities, despite recommendations to restrict screen time prior to sleep. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (anzctr.org.au), AACTRN12621000193875, Registered 23 February 2021, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=380926&isReview=true . |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-55127a8464154fad94a3f3bbb723b0c0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1479-5868 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity |
| spelling | doaj-art-55127a8464154fad94a3f3bbb723b0c02025-01-12T12:40:13ZengBMCInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity1479-58682025-01-0122111010.1186/s12966-024-01698-0From dusk to dawn: examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures studyBradley Brosnan0Kim A. Meredith-Jones1Jillian J. Haszard2Shay-Ruby Wickham3Barbara C. Galland4Takiwai Russell-Camp5Rachael W. Taylor6Department of Medicine, University of OtagoHazard BiostatisticsDepartment of Medicine, University of OtagoDepartment of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of OtagoDepartment of Medicine, University of OtagoDepartment of Medicine, University of OtagoDepartment of Medicine, University of OtagoAbstract Background Although evening screen time is thought to impair subsequent sleep, current measures are limited to questionnaires which seem unlikely to accurately assess screen time in youth. Given the ubiquitous nature of digital devices, improving measurement of screen time is required before related health effects can be appropriately determined. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify screen time before sleep using video camera footage. Methods This repeated-measures observational study in healthy adolescents (11–14 years) from Dunedin, New Zealand measured screen time on four evenings over one week in the home environment from March-December 2021. Wearable and stationary PatrolEyes video cameras captured screen time from two hours before bedtime until sleep and manually coded for device type (phone, tablet, laptop computer, desktop computer, handheld gaming console, gaming console, television and other) and screen activity (watching, listening, reading, educational/creative, browsing, communication, social media, video gaming, multitasking) using a reliable coding schedule (κ ≥ 0.8). Descriptive findings are reported. Findings Among the 83 participants (mean 12.3 [SD 1.0] years, 42% female, 52% New Zealand European, 37% Māori [indigenous]), 82 used screens in the two hours before bed on 308 of 344 (90%) nights for a mean of 54.4 min (SD 25.5). Televisions (median 37 min, 56% of nights), phones (19 min, 64% nights), and multitasking using multiple devices (19 min, 48% nights) were most commonly used (> 75% of adolescents). Once in bed but before trying to sleep, 58% of adolescents engaged in screen time for 17 (26.3) minutes on 36% of nights. The most common screen activities were watching (32.5%), social media (26.5%) and communication (20.5%). Even after attempting sleep, 32.5% of participants used screens for 8.0 min (median) on 16% of nights, mostly listening on phones. Conclusions Objective video cameras offer detailed insight into evening screen habits, capturing frequency, content, and duration. Youth frequently engage with screens before bed and throughout the night on a range of activities, despite recommendations to restrict screen time prior to sleep. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (anzctr.org.au), AACTRN12621000193875, Registered 23 February 2021, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=380926&isReview=true .https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01698-0Screen timeDigital deviceYouthSleepAccelerometryVideo analysis |
| spellingShingle | Bradley Brosnan Kim A. Meredith-Jones Jillian J. Haszard Shay-Ruby Wickham Barbara C. Galland Takiwai Russell-Camp Rachael W. Taylor From dusk to dawn: examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures study International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Screen time Digital device Youth Sleep Accelerometry Video analysis |
| title | From dusk to dawn: examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures study |
| title_full | From dusk to dawn: examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures study |
| title_fullStr | From dusk to dawn: examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures study |
| title_full_unstemmed | From dusk to dawn: examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures study |
| title_short | From dusk to dawn: examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures study |
| title_sort | from dusk to dawn examining how adolescents engage with digital media using objective measures of screen time in a repeated measures study |
| topic | Screen time Digital device Youth Sleep Accelerometry Video analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01698-0 |
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