TITLE:
Impact of Time Spent in Front of Screens and Frequency of Risk Behaviours According to Type of Screen: A Cross Sectional Study in Teenagers
AUTHORS:
Stéphanie Mignot, Pauline Pourrat, Pierre Ingrand, Anne-Laure Heintz, Nemat Jaafari, Philippe Binder
KEYWORDS:
Teenagers, Risk Behaviour, Smartphone, Screens, Suicide Attempts
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.10 No.12,
September
30,
2019
ABSTRACT: The time spent in front of various technology screens during adolescence could be linked to risk behaviours. Our study, carried out in June 2012, was designed to show that this correlation differs not only depending on sex but also according to the type of screen being used. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1235 schoolchildren, aged 15, from 90 different schools in the Poitou-Charentes region. The questions asked were based on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey. Questions on the amount of time spent daily either in front of a television, a computer, on video games and mobile phones were added on. Three sample subgroups were defined according to the frequency of six risk behaviours (smoking, drunkenness, cannabis consumption, early sexual intercourse, fights and suicide attempts). Results: Our total sample comprised 923 15-year-olds: 468 girls and 455 boys: 74.7% of the pupils were registered in the schools selected. The correlation between time spent in front of various technology screens and frequency of risk behaviours varied according to type of screen but not according to sex. Cellphone use resulted in the highest correlation amongst all teenagers: OR = 9.40 [6.1 - 14.4]. Amongst boys, no excess risk was found whilst watching the television, and there is only moderate risk when playing video games (OR = 2.11 [1.14 - 3.91]) or whilst using the computer to surf the internet (OR = 2.21 [1.13 - 4.34]). Amongst girls, risk grew when using the computer to surf the internet (OR = 3.31 [1.61 - 6.78]) and playing video games (OR = 5.84 [1.65 - 20.6]). Conclusion: These results suggest that questioning teenagers on screen use could represent an approach to risk behavior that would complement other screening tests.