A vicious circle between children's non-communicative smartphone use and loneliness
- Author(s)
- Anja Stevic, Jörg Matthes
- Abstract
Children are increasingly using their own smartphones for communicative and noncommunicative purposes. In fact, studies showed that different ways of using the smartphone might influence loneliness, and as a consequence, loneliness might also enhance further engagement with the smartphone. In this context, parents play an important role because they can regulate children's smartphone use. The present study tested the moderating role of active and restrictive parental mediation on the relations between different types of smartphone use and children's loneliness. We conducted a two-wave panel survey among 10- to 14-year-old children and their parents, resulting in total of 384 parent-child pairs at Time 2. Our results revealed that non-communicative use at Time 1 increased loneliness at Time 2. We also found a reciprocal influence, that is, loneliness at Time 1 increased children's non-communicative use at Time 2. We found no moderating influence of active and restrictive parental mediation on the relations between children's smartphone use and loneliness. Our findings are discussed against the background of the poor-get-poorer effect regarding smartphone use.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Communication
- Journal
- Telematics and Informatics: An Interdisciplinary Journal on the Social Impacts of New Technologies
- Volume
- 64
- No. of pages
- 12
- ISSN
- 0736-5853
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101677
- Publication date
- 11-2021
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 508007 Communication science, 508014 Journalism
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Networks and Communications
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/a-vicious-circle-between-childrens-noncommunicative-smartphone-use-and-loneliness(4504c043-dd49-4f54-ae2d-9bb635cfd962).html