From screen time to the digital level of analysis: a scoping review of measures for digital media use in children and adolescents
Tim Smith,
Dillon Thomas Browne,
Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra,
Dimitri Christakis,
Tracy Asamoah,
Lauren Hale,
Katia Delrahim-Howlett,
Jennifer A Emond,
Alexander G Fiks,
Sheri Madigan,
Heather Prime,
Greg Perlman,
Hans-Jürgen Rumpf,
Darcy Thompson,
Stephen Uzzo,
Jackie Stapleton,
Ross Neville,
Florence Breslin,
Joanne Broder,
Zsolt Demetrovics,
John Hutton,
Jessica Mendoza,
Thomas Robinson,
Paul Weigle,
Shealyn S May,
Laura Colucci,
Daphne Bavelier,
Jaysree Roberts,
Cris Rowan,
Oren Shefet,
Rachel Waxman
Affiliations
Tim Smith
Dillon Thomas Browne
Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra
Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
Dimitri Christakis
School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Tracy Asamoah
Media Committee, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Lauren Hale
professor
Katia Delrahim-Howlett
Division of Extramural Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, North Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Jennifer A Emond
Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
Alexander G Fiks
Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Sheri Madigan
Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Heather Prime
Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Greg Perlman
Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
Hans-Jürgen Rumpf
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Translational Psychiatry Unit, Research Group S:TEP, University of Luebeck, Lubeck, Germany
Darcy Thompson
School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA
Stephen Uzzo
New York Hall of Science, Flushing, New York, USA
Jackie Stapleton
Information Services and Resources, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Ross Neville
School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Florence Breslin
Joanne Broder
Zsolt Demetrovics
John Hutton
Jessica Mendoza
PPIE, FERN project, Liverpool, UK
Thomas Robinson
Paul Weigle
Shealyn S May
Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Laura Colucci
Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Objectives This scoping review aims to facilitate psychometric developments in the field of digital media usage and well-being in young people by (1) identifying core concepts in the area of “screen time” and digital media use in children, adolescents, and young adults, (2) synthesising existing research paradigms and measurement tools that quantify these dimensions, and (3) highlighting important areas of need to guide future measure development.Design A scoping review of 140 sources (126 database, 14 grey literature) published between 2014 and 2019 yielded 162 measurement tools across a range of domains, users, and cultures. Database sources from Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Scopus were extracted, in addition to grey literature obtained from knowledge experts and organisations relevant to digital media use in children. To be included, the source had to: (1) be an empirical investigation or present original research, (2) investigate a sample/target population that included children or young persons between the ages of 0 and 25 years of age, and (3) include at least one assessment method for measuring digital media use. Reviews, editorials, letters, comments and animal model studies were all excluded.Measures Basic information, level of risk of bias, study setting, paradigm, data type, digital media type, device, usage characteristics, applications or websites, sample characteristics, recruitment methods, measurement tool information, reliability and validity.Results Significant variability in nomenclature surrounding problematic use and criteria for identifying clinical impairment was discovered. Moreover, there was a paucity of measures in key domains, including tools for young children, whole families, disadvantaged groups, and for certain patterns and types of usage.Conclusion This knowledge synthesis exercise highlights the need for the widespread development and implementation of comprehensive, multi-method, multilevel, and multi-informant measurement suites.
