A vicious circle between children's non-communicative smartphone use and loneliness

Autor(en)

Anja Stevic, Jörg Matthes

Abstrakt

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(en)

Institut für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft

Journal

Telematics and Informatics: An Interdisciplinary Journal on the Social Impacts of New Technologies

Band

64

Anzahl der Seiten

12

ISSN

0736-5853

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101677

Publikationsdatum

11-2021

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

508007 Kommunikationswissenschaft, 508014 Publizistik

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Networks and Communications

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/4504c043-dd49-4f54-ae2d-9bb635cfd962