Cited by 116Impact of Technology on AdolescentsChild Development and Digital TechnologyGender and Technology in Education

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 25 of the 25 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Young Adolescents' Digital Technology Use, Perceived Impairments, and Well-Being in a Representative Sample

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Abstract

Objective. To examine the cross-sectional associations between young adolescents’ access, usage, and perceived impairments related to digital technologies and their academic, psychological, and physical wellbeing. Study design. 2,104 adolescents (ages 10–15 years), representative of the North Carolina Public School population, completed questionnaires in 2015. Administrative educational records were linked with parental consent. Results. Nearly all (95%) young adolescents had Internet access, 67% owned a mobile phone, and 68% had a social media account. Mobile phone ownership was not associated with any indicators of wellbeing (math and reading test scores, school belonging, psychological distress, conduct problems, or physical health) after controlling for demographic factors. Having a social media account and frequency of social media use were only robustly associated with conduct problems (explaining ~3% of the variation in conduct problems). Despite the lack of strong associations, 91% of adolescents reported at least one perceived technology-related impairment and 29% of adolescents reported online-to-offline spillover of negative experiences. Economically disadvantaged adolescents reported similar access, but greater online-to-offline spillover and stronger associations between social media account ownership and poor psychological wellbeing compared with their more affluent peers. Conclusions. At the population level, there was little evidence that digital technology access and usage is negatively associated with young adolescents’ wellbeing. Youth from economically disadvantaged families were equally likely to have access to digital technologies but were more likely than their more affluent peers to report negative online experiences. Closing the digital divide will require prioritizing equity in access, as well as in experiences and opportunities.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.12.002

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Metadata

Authors
George, M. J., Jensen, M. R., Russell, M. A., Gassman-Pines, A., Copeland, W. E., Hoyle, R. H., & Odgers, C. L.
Affiliations
  • Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Greensboro (US)
  • Pennsylvania State University (US)
  • Duke University (US)
Corresponding author
George, Madeleine J.
Venue
The Journal of Pediatrics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-04
Volume
219
Pages
180-187
ISSN
0022-3476 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3006471631
Cited by
104
References
25
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 6
FWCI
20.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journal of Pediatrics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse Center
  • Jacobs Foundation
  • Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Technology in Education
Keywords
early adolescents, digital technology use, mobile phone ownership, social media use, conduct problems, psychological distress, school belonging, academic performance, economic disadvantage, digital divide, youth welfare
MeSH terms
Problem Behavior, Adolescent, Child, Child Welfare, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Internet, Cell Phone, Self Report, Social Media

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