|
1
|
Major D, Fazekas-Pongor V, Pártos K, Tabák AG, Ungvari ZI, Eörsi D, Árva D, Terebessy A. Effect of school lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic on screen time among adolescents in Hungary: a longitudinal analysis. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1233024. [PMID: 38098820 PMCID: PMC10720660 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1233024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Studies indicate that due to school lockdown during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, screen time increased more steeply than pre-pandemic years. The aim of our study was to examine changes in screen time and its components (screen time spent on videos, games, homework, and other activities) of adolescents affected by COVID-19 school closures compared to controls from pre-pandemic years and to assess the effect of family structure and family communication. Methods Two sets of ninth-grader boys and girls transitioning into 10th grade were included in the analysis. The 'pre-COVID classes' (controls) completed the baseline survey in February 2018 and the follow-up survey in March 2019. 'COVID classes' (cases) completed the baseline survey in February 2020 (1 month before the COVID-19-related school lockdowns) and the follow-up survey in March 2021. Linear mixed models stratified by sex were built to assess the change in screen time over one year adjusted for family structure and communication. Results Our study population consisted of 227 controls (128 girls, 99 boys) and 240 cases (118 girls, 122 boys). Without COVID-19, overall screen time did not change significantly for boys, but there was a decrease in screen time for gaming by 0.63 h, which was accompanied by an increase of 1.11 h in screen time for other activities (consisting mainly of social media and communication). Because of the pandemic, all components increased by 1.44-2.24 h in boys. Girls' screen time and its components remained stable without school lockdown, while it increased for videos and homework by 1.66-2.10 h because of school lockdown. Living in a single-parent household was associated with higher, while better family communication resulted in lower screen time. Discussion Our results indicate that COVID-19-related school lockdowns modified the age-specific increase in screen time for boys and girls as well. This trend, however, may be counterbalanced by improving communication between family members.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Major
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Vince Fazekas-Pongor
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katalin Pártos
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Adam G. Tabák
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- UCL Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Zoltan I. Ungvari
- Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
- Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Neurodegeneration Program, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
- Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
- International Training Program in Geroscience, Doctoral School of Basic and Translational Medicine, Departments of Translational Medicine and Public Health, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Health Promotion Sciences, College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Dániel Eörsi
- Doctoral School of Mental Health Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dorottya Árva
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Terebessy
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Griffiths MD. Online gaming addiction in youth: Some comments on Rosendo-Rios et al. (2022). Addict Behav 2022; 130:107311. [PMID: 35339731 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
A recent systematic review examining online gaming addiction among children and young adults was published in Addictive Behaviors (i.e., Rosendo-Rios, Trott & Shukla, 2022). However, dozens of papers were missing from the review. One of the reasons why so many studies were not in the review is likely to be because of the search terms used. None of the search terms included the words 'adolescent', 'adolescence', 'emerging adults', 'excessive gaming', 'gaming disorder', 'video game addiction' or 'problematic gaming'. Moreover, studies were also included in the review if the mean age of the total sample was 25 years or below. This meant that some studies in the review included some participants who were not children, adolescents or emerging adults. It also meant that many studies were not included that had mean ages below the age of 26 years because they were not picked up by the search strategy. Given the high number of studies that were not included in the review, readers should view this systematic review as 'suggestive' of research in the area of problematic gaming in youth rather than 'definitive'.
Collapse
|