Poster #140 - Trajectory Profiles of Children’s Digital Media Use using a Growth Mixture Modeling

• In Event: Poster Session 09

Abstract

Introduction

The growing use of digital devices such as smartphones and tablets has been raising concerns about its negative impact on children’s development. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated children’s exposure to digital media and resulted in excessive screen time (Toombs et al., 2022). Although the use of digital media promotes social connection and interaction (Pandya & Lodha, 2021), excessive media use was associated with poorer mental health as well as increased behavioral problems and school maladjustment (OECD, 2018). The current study aims to (1) identify different trajectory profiles of children’s digital media use across late childhood, (2) examine predictors (e.g., SES, alone time, parents’ supervision) of such different trajectory profiles, and (3) evaluate the consequences of each trajectory profiles in developmental outcomes such as behavior problems (e.g., internalizing/externalizing), mental health (e.g., happiness and autonomy), and school adjustment (e.g., peer relationship, academic stress, and tolerance of failure). Using prospective longitudinal data, a person-centered approach was applied instead of a variable-centered approach considering heterogeneity in media use.

Method

The participants were 1,530 children/mothers from the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), a national longitudinal study. Mother-reported ‘smartphone overdependence children observer scale’ (from age 9 to 11) was used to measure children’s media use. At age 11, parent-reported child behavior checklist (Achenbach, 1991), self-reported questionnaires on children’s overall happiness (Millennium Cohort Study: MCS), autonomy (Children’s society, 2012), and school adjustment (National Youth Policy Institute, 2004; Kim, 2003) were applied to evaluate their developmental characteristics. We applied growth mixture modeling and used the R3STEP and BCH methods.

Results

The growth mixture modeling analyses revealed two trajectory profiles of media use across age 9 to 11 (AIC: 3030.61; BIC: 3089.27; SABIC: 3053.33; Entropy: .731; Figure 1): the ‘High-Stable’ class (24%) and ‘Moderate-Increasing’ class (76%). Lower SES (odds ratio: 1.229), longer alone time (odds ratio: .748), and a lower level of parents’ supervision (odds ratio: 1.733) were associated with a higher likelihood of being in a High-Stable class. With regard to children’s developmental outcomes (Table 1), High-Stable class reported higher levels of internalizing/externalizing problems, intolerance to academic failure, and academic stress than Moderate-Increasing class. In contrast, Moderate-Increasing class showed higher levels of happiness, autonomy, and peer relationship than the High-Stable class.

Discussion

The results provided evidence for differences in the trajectories of children’s digital use during middle childhood. The Moderate-Increasing class showed an increasing pattern of media use over time, which could be considered normative for that late childhood period. However, it should be noted that High-Stable class, a high-risk group for media addiction, reported high media use scores at the beginning of late childhood. Given the severe consequences of childhood media use in psychological problems and maladjustment (Nesi, 2021), intensive and immediate intervention may be required for this group. Designing differential media-use intervention strategies for different trajectory profiles may shed light on ways to promote healthy development where media is ubiquitous and inseparable from children’s everyday lives optimizing children’s development although strengthening parental supervision and spending more time with families might be the most common strategies for both classes.

Authors

• Keng-Hie Song, Daegu University
  Presenting Author

• Ju-Hyun Song, Yonsei University

• Sook In Cho, Korea Institute of Child Care and Education