Digital Media Use and Well-Being in Children and Adolescence: The Impact of Functional and Dysfunctional Usage Behavior

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Background

Digital media determines our modern everyday life and the time of use continues to increase. The use is associated with numerous benefits as well as different risks. In the past, findings on the effect of using digital media on well-being have been hotly debated. The different dimensions that have been in the focus of interest are physical and psychological well-being, moods and emotions, self-perception, autonomy, parent relations and leisure time, school environment, social acceptance and financial resources.

Considering well-being, children and adolescence are a particularly vulnerable group. At this age, when their minds are still developing, many factors that contribute to lifelong well-being are, or are not, acquired or solidified. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the influence of digital media use in this critical phase of the life course. So far, research has increasingly focused on dysfunctional and problematic use. Studies on the duration and frequency of using video games and social networking sites in children and adolescents, show controversial findings that have both positive and negative effects on well-being, cognitive and social development, and school performance. This controversy indicates that considering solely the frequency/duration of use is not sufficient for assessing the degree of functionality or dysfunctionality of digital media use. Crucial to this are the psychological mechanisms and processes (e.g., motivational, affective, cognitive) that determine whether media use is functional and results in increased well-being or whether it is dysfunctional and results in decreased well-being.

Guidelines for the functional use of digital media by children and adolescents are increasingly demanded by parents, teachers and politicians. In order to make scientifical recommendations, there is a need for a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms that contribute to a functional/dysfunctional use of digital media in children and adolescents. Therefore, on the basis of solid scientific proof, the submitted contributions will have to pursue the investigation of psychological mechanisms and processes that influence the nature and impact of functional and dysfunctional digital media use in children and adolescents. We invite all fields of research contributing to the topic of digital media use in children and adolescents to submit either psychological, behavioral or neurophysiological (e.g., EEG, fMRI, heart rate) findings.

Keywords: Digital Media, Well-Being, Children, Adolescence, Usage Behavior

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