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ABSTRACT
BOOKLET
MINDS
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS
AND
MEDIA
DIGITAL
DEVELOPING
#MediaAndMinds25
JULY ,
Schedule
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SUNDAY, JULY 13TH
5:20 pm
Brief and Brilliant Flash Talks
MONDAY, JULY 14TH
8:30 am
Brief and Brilliant Flash Talks
1:30 pm
Abstract Symposium: Innovation in Action: New Tools
and Approaches for Youth Digital Media Research
2:30 pm
Abstract Symposium: Understanding
Problematic Media Use in Children and Adolescents:
Global Insights on Risk and Resilience
5:00 pm
Poster Session (#1-55)
TUESDAY, JULY 15TH
8:30 am
Brief and Brilliant Flash Talks
1:30 pm
Abstract Symposium: Understanding Contextual Influences
on Children’s Media Use
2:30 pm
Abstract Symposium: Digital Media Exposure: Tracing
Social and Mental Health Impacts Across Development
4:30 pm
Poster Session (#56-113)
FLASHTALKS
Flash Talks
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SUNDAY, JULY 13TH
The Role of Youth as Experts in Improving the
Eectiveness of Digital Media Literacy Interventions
(See Poster #13)
Kyra Dingle
MEDICAL STUDENT
University of Irvine School of Medicine
The Interplay Between Problematic Smartphone Use,
Depression, and Creative Personality in Adolescents:
A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Model
(See Poster #7)
Jing Chen, MA
PHD STUDENT, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY SCIENCE
Virginia Tech
Physiological Responses to Social Media Detox:
A Randomized Control Study With, By, and For Teen Girls
(See Poster #43)
Destinee Ramos
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Harvard College and Center for Digital Thriving
The SMaRT Mom Intervention – Partial Abstinence
Alters Neural Processing in Parietal Regions of Breastfeeding
Mothers with Excessive Smartphone Use to Smartphone Cues –
Initial Results of an ERP Study
(See Poster #18)
Lilach Gra Nomkin, MA
RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGIST, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN PSYCHOLOGY
Bar-Ilan University
Hiding in Plain Sight: Instagram Violates the DSA by
Serving as a Gateway for a Vast Network of Pedophiles
(See Poster #42)
Gretchen Peters, MA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Alliance to Counter Crime Online
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
SOMI (Stichting Onderzoek Marktinformatie / Foundation for Market Information
Research)
FLASH TALKS
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MONDAY, JULY 14TH
Associations between Postsecondary Students’ Lifestyle
Habits and Positive Mental Health: A Gender-Based Analysis
(See Poster #14)
Caroline Fitzpatrick, PhD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Université de Sherbrooke
Bidirectional Associations of Problematic Social Media Use and
Problematic Gaming with Mental Health Diiculties and Strengths
in Adolescents: Sex and Social Support as Potential Moderators
(See Poster #49)
Luka Todorović, MSc
PHD CANDIDATE, DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
University of Amsterdam
TUESDAY, JULY 15TH
Media and Mood in Black Adolescent Socialization
(See Poster #95)
Daniel Labrousse
PHD STUDENT
University of Pittsburgh
Background Screen Exposure at Age 3.5 is Associated with Worse
Problem-solving Skills at 4.5 Years
(See Poster #66)
Emma Cristini
PHD CANDIDATE IN EDUCATION
Université de Sherbrooke
FLASH TALKS
Research Symposia
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RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
INNOVATION IN ACTION
NEW TOOLS AND APPROACHES
FOR YOUTH DIGITAL MEDIA RESEARCH
MONDAY, JULY 14TH, 1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Ofcom: Children’s Passive Online Measurement
Sumita, Deb
SENIOR ONLINE AUDIENCE ANALYST
Ofcom – the UK’s Online Safety Regulator
Rethinking Inconsistency in Measures of Screen Media
Activity: Insights from the ABCD Study
Yihong Zhao, PhD
PROFESSOR OF DATA SCIENCE
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
An AI Tool to Detect Educational YouTube
Content for Kids
Claire Christensen, PhD
SENIOR EDUCATION RESEARCHER
SRI Education
Developing an Evidence Base for Digital Citizenship
Education:
An Outcome Evaluation of Common Sense Media’s
Curriculum with Middle School Students
Lisa M. Jones, PhD
RESEARCH PROFESSOR
University of New Hampshire
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Ofcom: Children’s Passive Online Measurement
DEB SUMITA1, PEREZ, AMOR1, CAPE, STEVEN1, FULLER, NIGEL1, HOLCROFT, GUY1
BACKGROUND: The UK’s Online Safety Act requires companies to protect children from content that
is illegal and harmful. Ofcom is the implementing body of the Act and our strong research programme
supports our work on online safety. The Children’s Passive Online Measurement research establishes the
extent of use of websites and apps (platforms) children are allocating their screentime to. This research can
assist in identifying a correlation in the potential online harms encountered by children versus the time spent
on platforms and the extent to which children spend time on platforms where they are below the minimum
age threshold. Using passive measurement instead of a survey achieves greater data accuracy as surveys can
be impacted by recall accuracy and the scope of platforms a survey can reasonably cover will be limited for
it to not be onerous for a participant to complete. In 2023, Ofcom ran a successful small pilot to understand
the feasibility of obtaining robust and representative data from this methodology for children (Ofcom, Online
Nation 2023). This presentation will cover the ndings from our scaled robust sample in 2024-2025.
METHODS: The panel consisted of 695 UK children aged 8-14 who go online and agreed to have their
devices measured, with parental/legal guardian consent. Each participants data was collected for 28
consecutive days, with data collected from October 2024-April 2025. Devices measured include smartphone,
tablet or computers used by the children at least once a week. A VPN monitor/app was installed to the
devices, and this passively recorded the platforms they visited. A data cleaning process was implemented to
identify and remove devices that were more likely to have been predominantly used by an adult. The results
were then aggregated to provide total reach among children and average time spent.
RESULTS: We found UK online 8–14-year-olds spent on average 3 hours per day online. YouTube (94%),
Facebook (74%) and TikTok (57%) were the highest-reaching social media platforms. 46% of online
8–14-year-olds used Snapchat spending an average of 44 minutes a day on it. As each visit instance is
recorded, we can see the sequence in which they visit platforms and the time of day that they are online and
how that is set against their ofine lives, for example on school days.
IMPLICATIONS: Passive online measurement is a valuable research method for understanding where
children go online. This is an important development for Ofcom as we expand our Online Safety evidence
base, and we can use this information to conrm what ‘big tech’ companies tell us about the number of child
users they have. Seeing children’s real online journeys brings us closer to understanding the challenges they
face online and how to improve their lives online.
COI DISCLOSURE: Funded by Ofcom
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Examining Measurement Discrepancies in Adolescent Screen
Media Activity with Insights from the ABCD Study
ZHAO, YIHONG1, HAN, XUEWEI1, BAGOT, KARA S.2, TAPERT, SUSAN F.3,
POTENZA, MARC N.4, PAULUS, MARTIN5
BACKGROUND: Self-reported screen media activities have been criticized for issues such as inaccuracy and
recall bias. However, these measures remain valuable as they capture users’ perceptions and awareness of
their screen time, offering unique insights that complement device-obtained data.
METHODS: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study data at Year 4 were analyzed (N
= 495). We focused on these who had passively collected apps usage data from the Effortless Assessment
of Risk States (EARS) smartphone app. The analyses quantied and examined discrepancies between
objectively recorded app usage data and self-reported screen media activities during the past 12-months
as well as post-sensing period. Machine learning approaches were used to compare relative importance of
objective and subjective measures in predicting mental health outcomes.
RESULTS: Self-reported data showed that 94.26% of time spent on social media took place on smartphones.
EARS recorded higher social media use (1.64 hours ± 1.93) compared to past-year self-reported time (1.44
hours ± 1.97; p=0.037), but it was not signicantly different from the post-sensing survey (1.63 hours ±
1.93; p=0.835). We also found that both self-reported and objective social media usage correlated positively
with higher levels of parent-reported externalizing symptoms and social media addiction scores. Higher
externalizing symptoms were related to greater social media use, as measured by both EARS (β=0.07, 95%
CI: 0.03-0.12) and self-report in the past 12 months (β=0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.11). Similarly, higher social
media addiction scores were related to greater social media use, as measured by both EARS (β=0.06, 95%
CI: 0.01-0.11) and self-report in the past 12 months (β=0.15, 95% CI: 0.10-0.20). Additionally, self-report in
the past 12 months were positively associated with internalizing behaviors and video game addiction score
(β=0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.10). Machine learning analyses consistently identied self-reports and regularity of
screen media activities as the most important predictors of mental health outcomes.
IMPLICATIONS: Our results indicate that agreement between subjective and objective metrics depends
on digital activity type and recall timeframe. Adolescents demonstrate reliable self-reporting of shorter-
term social media use. However, accurately measuring gaming via EARS poses challenges likely due to
its restriction to smartphone usage. Incorporating objective data from multiple platforms regularly used by
youth is crucial for gaining clarity on actual usage and potential impacts. Collectively, ndings highlight the
value of both device-obtained and self-report measures of SMA and necessitate reconsidering the complex
roles of both types of measures in understanding youth mental health and functioning in the current digital
technology environment.
COI DISCLOSURE: This work was supported partly by the Children and Screens Seed Grant and the
National Institute of Mental Health (RF1MH128614). Dr. Zhao has no disclosures.
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An AI Tool to Detect Educational YouTube Content for Kids
CHRISTENSEN, CLAIRE,1 ROY, ANIRBAN,1
CINCEBEAUX, MADELINE,1 KAUR, RAMNEET1
BACKGROUND: Most young children watch videos online (Auxier et al., 2020). Most of the videos they
watch are not very educational (Radesky et al., 2020). Screening for educational videos is difcult and time-
consuming, when 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube each minute (YouTube, n.d.). To address
this, we developed an AI tool to automatically detect literacy and math content in videos for young children.
It is called Assisting Parents to Review Online Videos for Education (APPROVE). We describe APPROVE’s
development and its accuracy for detecting literacy and math content.
RESEARCH QUESTION:
What is APPROVE’s accuracy for detecting early math and literacy content? How does it compare to
chance?
To what extent does APPROVE’s accuracy differ in a curated dataset of educational videos vs. a novel
dataset of videos watched by children?
METHODS:
We built and tested APPROVE in 4 steps:Creating a codebook, based on the Common Core State Standards
and Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework.
Annotating videos to train the model. Research assistants coded videos’ content in Qualtrics.
Developing a machine learning model: We used a multimodal content understanding framework to combine
videos’ visual and audio cues. It extracts visual and audio information, separately classies videos based on
each modality, then combines these classications.
Training and testing the model. We randomly assigned 75% of the curated dataset for model training and
25% for testing. We compared the model’s classications to human annotations in both the curated and the
novel dataset.
We used curated and novel datasets to test the model. The curated dataset consists of videos screened for
early literacy and math content. The novel dataset is from a randomized controlled trial of the impact of PBS
KIDS science and engineering resources (Grindal et al., 2019). Participants were 55 children, ages 4 and 5, in
the control group who had YouTube viewing data (4,613 downloadable videos). Researchers instructed them
to use educational media as usual for 1 hour per week over 8 weeks on data-enabled tablets that blocked PBS
KIDS resources.
RESULTS: APPROVE demonstrated greater-than-chance accuracy for detecting both literacy and
mathematics content. Its accuracy was higher in a curated dataset of educational videos than in a novel
dataset of videos watched by children.
Literacy accuracy
Curated dataset: 95% accuracy vs. 73% by chance
Novel dataset: 72% accuracy vs. 16% by chance
Math accuracy
Curated dataset: 92% accuracy vs. 83% by chance
Novel dataset: 71% accuracy vs. 60% by chance
Within the novel dataset, APPROVE estimated that 16% of videos children watched were educational.
IMPLICATIONS: APPROVE facilitates efcient research on the impacts of children’s video content
exposure. It may enable development of an educational video recommender.
COI DISCLOSURE: This study is part of a broader initiative to detect the presence and quality of
educational content in online videos using machine learning (National Science Foundation Award No.
2139219). This study was funded in part by SRI internal research and development funds. Claire Christensen
is named on a patent pending for the technology developed through this work.the National Institute of
Mental Health (RF1MH128614). Dr. Zhao has no disclosures.
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Developing an Evidence Base for Digital Citizenship Education:
An Outcome Evaluation of Common Sense
Media’s Curriculum with Middle School Students
JONES, LISA M.1, COLBURN, DEIRDRE1, ADAMS, ALLI1
BACKGROUND: As concerns about the impact of technology on children have increased, there has been
widespread mobilization by schools to improve students’ online well-being and safety through digital
citizenship education. However, evaluation research has not accompanied implementation and scaling. To
address this gap, the current study will provide ndings from an outcome evaluation of Common Sense
Media’s (CSM) Digital Citizenship Curriculum. Using a quasi-experimental design in partnership with
15 middle schools in the U.S. (7 implementation and 8 control schools), the study tests the hypothesis that
students exposed to the CSM curriculum will see greater gains on digital citizenship knowledge, attitudes,
and behaviors compared to control students.
METHODS: Fifteen middle schools (6th, 7th, and 8th grades) across the U.S. participated in the study.
A total of 2,798 students completed pre-test and post-test surveys approximately 2 months apart. In the 7
implementation schools (n=1,319, 47%) students received the Common Sense Digital Citizenship between
pre- and post-tests. For the 8 control schools (n=1,479, 53%), students received no or standard technology
education content. Outcome measures included a Digital Citizenship Scale (DCS), previously piloted and
validated by the research team, that measures attitudes across 10 subscales: 1) media balance, 2) digital well-
being, 3) privacy & security, 4) digital footprint & identity, 5) online civility, 6) awareness of tech inuence,
7) online safety, 8) news & media literacy, 9) online bystander support, and 10) positive online experiences.
Additional survey questions ask youth about knowledge and online behaviors related to the digital citizenship
lessons.
RESULTS: Baseline data collected from 947 6th graders, 937 7th graders, and 914 8th graders nd that girls
score higher than boys on every subscale except media balance and posting awareness. Evaluation ndings
identify improvements for youth receiving the digital citizenship curriculum, showing more effects for 7th
and 8th graders than 6th graders. For 8th graders, for example, positive ndings were seen for program
impact on online bystander support and online safety. Additional ndings highlight the impact of program
implementation context on outcomes, including delity and supporting programming (e.g., social-emotional
learning programs).
IMPLICATIONS: This research represents one of the rst rigorous outcome evaluations of digital citizenship
education. Findings will increase the eld’s understanding of where digital citizenship messaging and
education have the strongest impact on student learning and online behavior, and where additional innovative
approaches may be needed.
COI DISCLOSURE: Funding/Conicts of Interest: Dr. Lisa Jones discloses that funding for the research was
provided to my university by the non-prot organization (Common Sense Media) that developed the program
being evaluated. This team had involvement in the design of the survey and will help provide some feedback
on results but they are not involved in the data collection, analysis or submission of resulting papers to peer
reviewed journals.
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RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
UNDERSTANDING PROBLEMATIC MEDIA
USE IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
GLOBAL INSIGHTS ON RISK AND RESILIENCE
MONDAY, JULY 14TH, 2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Associations Between Problematic Screen Use, Mental
Health, Sleep, and Substance Use Among Early
Adolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study
Jason Nagata, MD, MSc
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS
Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine
University of California, San Francisco
Gender Dierences in the Association Between
Problematic Social Media Use and Life Satisfaction: A
Cross-National Perspective Among 39 Countries
Jane Shawcro, PhD
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
The Ohio State University
Longitudinal Impacts of Problematic Internet Use
on Social Relationships across Multiple Ecological
Domains of Children and Adolescents
Hyekyung Choo, PhD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK
National University of Singapore
Situating Problematic Video Gaming and Psychotic-
Like Experiences in the Social Environment of
Preadolescents
Vincent Paquin, MD
PSYCHIATRIST
McGill University
PHD STUDENT
Maastricht University
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Associations Between Problematic Screen Use,
Mental Health, Sleep, and Substance Use Among
Early Adolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study
NAGATA, JASON M.1, SHIM, JOAN1, BALASUBRAMANIAN, PRIYADHARSHINI1,
CHENG, CHLOE M1, AL- SHOAIBI, ABUBAKR A.A.1, SHAO, IRIS Y1, GANSON, KYLE T.2,
TESTA, ALEXANDER3, KISS, ORSOLYA4, BAKER, FIONA C.4
BACKGROUND: There are limited large-scale, prospective analyses examining problematic screen use
and mental and behavioral health outcomes in early adolescents. The current study aimed to determine
associations between problematic screen use and mental and behavioral health outcomes — such as
depressive symptoms, suicidal behaviors, sleep disturbance, and substance use experimentation — one year
later in a national cohort of 11-12-year-olds in the United States.
METHODS: We analyzed prospective cohort data from Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD)
Study participants who reported their screen use at ages 11-12 (Year 2, N=7,195; 48.4% female; 45.1%
racial/ethnic minority). Problematic mobile phone, social media, and video game use were measured
using the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire, Social Media Addiction Questionnaire, and Video
Game Addiction Questionnaire, respectively. Mental health symptoms (Child Behavior Checklist), suicidal
behaviors, sleep duration and disturbance, and substance use experimentation were measured in Years 2 and
3. Associations between problematic screen use (Year 2) and mental and behavioral health outcomes (Year
3) were determined using either linear or logistic regression analyses based on the outcome, adjusting for
potential confounders (Year 2).
RESULTS: Higher problematic mobile phone use was prospectively associated with higher depressive
problems (B=0.34; 95% condence interval [CI] 0.18, 0.50), attention/decit problems (B=0.36; 95% CI
0.13, 0.39), and oppositional deant problems (B=0.22; 95% CI 0.10, 0.35) one year later. Similarly, higher
problematic social media use was prospectively associated with greater depressive problems (B=0.43; 95%
CI 0.19, 0.69), attention/decit problems (B=0.26; 95% CI 0.05, 0.46), and oppositional deant problems
(B=0.30; 95% CI 0.11, 0.49). Problematic video game use was prospectively associated with higher
depressive problems (B=0.38; 95% CI 0.19, 0.56), attention/decit problems (B=0.27; 95% CI 0.12, 0.42),
and oppositional deant problems (B=0.24; 95% CI 0.09, 0.38). Higher problematic use of mobile phones,
social media, and video games were all prospectively associated with shorter sleep duration and greater sleep
disturbance. Higher problematic mobile phone use was prospectively associated with higher odds of alcohol
(adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=1.25; 95% CI 1.14, 1.37), nicotine (AOR=1.65; 95% 1.36, 2.01), and cannabis
(AOR=1.40; 95% 1.08, 1.83) experimentation. Higher problematic social media use was prospectively
associated with higher odds of alcohol (AOR=1.27; 95% CI 1.12, 1.43), nicotine (AOR=1.31; 95% 1.07, 1.61),
and cannabis (AOR=1.59; 95% 1.17, 2.16) experimentation.
IMPLICATIONS: Problematic screen use is prospectively associated with poor mental and behavioral health
outcomes in early adolescence. Clinicians should provide anticipatory guidance regarding problematic screen
use in early adolescence.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (K08HL159350 and
R01MH135492) and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (2022056). The authors have no conicts of
interest to declare.
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Gender Dierences in the Association Between
Problematic Social Media Use and Life Satisfaction:
A Cross-National Perspective Among 39 Countries
SHAWCROFT, JANE1, SHAWCROFT, MATTHEW2,
CINGEL, DREW P.3, HUSKEY, RICHARD3
BACKGROUND: This study addresses two research questions. First, is there cross-national variability in
the gender gap in the association between problematic social media use (PSMU) and life satisfaction? And
second, how is the gender gap in the association between PSMU and life satisfaction related to other current
and historic national-level indicators of gender inequality?
METHODS: To answer these questions, we used data from the Health Behavior in School Aged Children
study to assess adolescent SM use and well-being from adolescents living in 39 different countries in Europe
and Central Eurasia (N = 230,375). Indices of gender inequality were taken from data collected by the United
Nations and World Bank. We used data quantifying gender inequalities in economic resources, educational
attainment, health, and leadership at the national level.
RESULTS: We found considerable cross-national variability in the gender differences in the association
between PSMU and life satisfaction. While the overarching pattern was for girls to demonstrate larger more
negative associations between PSMU and life satisfaction (in 37 out of 39 countries), the actual differences
were small, with the largest difference being only 0.19 (on a scale of 0-1). We also found the moderating
effect of gender on the association between PSMU and life satisfaction was associated with adolescent
health differences, inequality in education, and legal protections for women in the workplace. Specically,
in countries where there were larger health disparities between boys and girls, gender was a more salient
moderator in the association between PSMU and life satisfaction. In countries with larger gender differences
in education, gender was a less salient moderator in the association between PSMU and life satisfaction.
Finally, in countries where women had more legal protections in the workplace, gender was a less salient
moderator in the association between PSMU and life satisfaction. However, the underlying patterns of these
ndings show that many of these patterns are due to the association between boys’ experiences and their
social context, not just girls’.
IMPLICATIONS: Our results indicate that while gender differences in the association between PSMU and
life satisfaction were persistent, they were also small. Therefore, we caution against overstating gender
differences in this area of research. In addition, we emphasize that given the between-country variability
in gender difference in the association between PSMU and life satisfaction we found, it is unlikely that
gender differences in this area are inherent patterns but are in part a product of adolescents’ social world.
Specically, we note the importance of considering health, education, and economic processes in shaping
how adolescents’ experience social media on a broader, societal level. Thus, we invite a shift in perspective:
away from treating gender differences as an inherent pattern and towards acknowledging the social
structures that underpin adolescents’ individual experiences with social media.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors have no COI to disclose.
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Longitudinal Impacts of Problematic
Internet Use on Social Relationships Across
Multiple Ecological Domains of Children and Adolescents
CHOO, HYEKYUNG1, GENTILE, DOUGLAS A.2, KHOO, ANGELINE3
BACKGROUND: Pathological Internet Use (PIU), also known as Problematic Internet Use, Compulsive
Internet Use or Internet Addiction, is not classied as a clinical disorder. Nevertheless, over the past few
decades, it has remained a signicant public concern due to its links to gaming disorder and excessive use
of social media (Morano et al, 2022). Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to PIU and other
Internet-based disorders, given their early exposure to and ownership of smartphones, advanced digital
literacy and active engagement in online social networking, compared to adults (Mascheroni et al., 2012).
Although numerous studies on PIU have identied risk and protective factors associated with PIU, little
research has captured the growth trajectory of PIU among children and adolescents from lower primary
to secondary school. Furthermore, while most existing research focuses on mental health outcomes, such
as depression and anxiety, as PIU’s negative consequences, evidence is limited regarding its impacts on
children and adolescents’ social relationships across various ecological domains including family, peers and
school. This study aimed to address this gap by examining whether the growth trajectory of PIU signicantly
predicts changes of social relationships with parents, peers and school over time among children and
adolescents.
METHODS: Analyzing four-wave, yearly survey data from a nationally representative sample of primary
(Grades 3-6, n=1,380) and secondary (Grades 7-11, n=2,199) school students in Singapore, we estimated a
series of Conditional Latent Growth Curve Models (LGCM) of PIU for the respective outcomes of 1) trust in
parents, 2) quality communication with parents, 3) peer support and 4) school avoidance. Missing data were
handled through Full Information Maximum Likelihood in Mplus.
RESULTS: The four LGCM yielded generally adequate goodness of t indexes (CFI =.952-.975, TLI= .930-
.964, RMSEA=.022-.039, SRMR=.027-.046). Results from LGCM revealed that the higher intercept of PIU
was associated with the lower intercepts of trust in parents (iβ=-.455, p=.000), quality communication with
parents (iβ=-.460, p=.000) and peer support (iβ=-.155, p=.028), and the higher intercept of school avoidance
(iβ= .685, p=.000). The higher intercept of PIU also predicted the steeper change rates in trust in parents
(sβ=-.197, p=.013) and peer support (sβ=-.389, p=.000). The higher slope, i.e., the more rapid deterioration
of PIU over time predicted the faster worsening of trust in parents (sβ=-.514, p=.002), communication with
parents (sβ=-.739, p=.000), peer support (sβ=-.460, p=.000) and school avoidance (iβ=.612, p=.000) over time.
Analyses of subgroups showed no differences by sex and school (primary vs. secondary) in the effects of the
intercept and the slope of PIU on the four outcomes. Overall, ndings suggest that mitigation of PIU would
contribute to desirable development in social relationships across different ecological domains of childhood
and adolescence.
COI DISCLOSURE Statement: We would like to acknowledge that this research was supported by a grant
from Singapore Inter-Ministry Cyber-Wellness Steering Committee. There is no conict of interest to
declare.
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Situating Problematic Video Gaming and Psychotic-Like
Experiences in the Social Environment of Preadolescents
PAQUIN, VINCENT1,2, LAVALLEE, ZOEY3, HUOT-LAVOIE, MAXIME4,
DÍAZ-CANEJA, COVADONGA M.5, GÜLÖKSÜZ, SINAN1,6
BACKGROUND: According to some studies, problematic video gaming is prospectively associated with
psychotic-like experiences in young people, possibly due to social isolation. However, the role of protective
social factors has not been investigated. The presence of protective factors in the peer, school, and family
environments might be a sign that an adolescent’s gaming is not problematic; in addition, protective
factors might attenuate the impact of problematic gaming on psychotic-like experiences by mitigating the
exposure to social isolation or other risk factors. The present study aims to examine the association between
problematic video game use and psychotic symptoms in preadolescents, as well as the protective role of the
social environment.
METHODS: Data were obtained from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a cohort of
12,000 preadolescents from the general population of the United States. Analyses were conducted in a
subsample of 6492 youth who play video games and who completed the assessments at years 2 and 3 (mean
age at year 2: 12 years; female sex: 39.2%). We used mixed models to evaluate the association of problematic
gaming at year 2 with psychotic-like experiences at year 3. To examine the role of social environmental
factors, we modeled two-way interactions of problematic gaming with three social variables (family
environment: parenting practices; peer environment: number of close friends; and school environment:
positive experiences in school).
RESULTS: Higher levels of problematic gaming at age 12 were signicantly associated with higher levels
of PLEs at age 13, independently of sociodemographic variables and previous PLEs. The strength of the
association between problematic gaming and PLEs did not signicantly vary as a function of the peer,
school, or family environment variables (i.e., there was no signicant interaction effect). However, more
protective school and family environments at age 12 were associated with lower levels of problematic gaming
at age 13, independently of previous levels of problematic gaming.
IMPLICATIONS: The present results suggest that positive features of the school and family environments
may protect against problematic gaming or at least may be indirect markers of non-problematic gaming.
However, in youth who already manifest signs of problematic gaming, the presence of protective factors in
the social environment does not seem to modify the potential risk of PLEs conferred by problematic gaming.
The ndings add to previous evidence that problematic gaming and other forms of problematic internet use
may be risk factors for PLEs, but the mechanism of the association remains unclear.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare no conict of interest. Dr. Paquin is supported by an award from
the Fonds de recherche du Québec and Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux (FRQS-MSSS).
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RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
UNDERSTANDING CONTEXTUAL
INFLUENCES ON CHILDREN’S MEDIA USE
TUESDAY, JULY 15TH, 1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Children’s Screen Use Partially Mediates the Link
Between Household Chaos and Kindergarteners’ Sleep
Adelaide Delali Klutse, MS, CFLE
PHD CANDIDATE
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Pennsylvania State University
From Early Temperament to Later Problematic Media
Use: The Mediating Role of Adolescent Temperament
Mahmut Sami Gurdal
PHD CANDIDATE
Virginia Tech
The Eects of App Persuasive Design and Child
Self-Regulation on their Digital Disengagement:
An Acute Experiment
Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, PhD
RESEARCH FELLOW
ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, University of Wollongong, Australia
Evaluating Eectiveness of Educational Games in
Natural Settings
Jessica Wise Younger, PhD
SENIOR MANAGER, RESEARCH PROJECTS
PBS
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Children’s Screen Use Partially Mediates the Link
Between Household Chaos and Kindergarteners’ Sleep
KLUTSE, ADELAIDE D.1, SAINI, EKJYOT K.1, TETI, DOUGLAS M.1
BACKGROUND: Research indicates that children from chaotic households have shorter and poor-
quality sleep (e.g. Fronberg et al., 2022), an association attributed to the lack of bedtime routines and an
unpredictable and disorganized household. Additionally, screen exposure before bedtime has also been
predictive of sleep problems in children (Pickard et al., 2024). Links between household chaos and greater
screen exposure in children (Edmond et al., 2018) suggest that parents in chaotic environments may not be
able to monitor children’s screen use or rely on screens to manage their children. It may be that exposure to
screens is one potential mechanism linking household chaos and child sleep. The present study investigated
whether screen exposure mediated the relationship between household chaos and child sleep and whether
these mediational effects varied based on the time of day of screen exposure.
METHODS: Drawing from a representative community sample of 230 families of kindergarteners,
household chaos was rated by observers to the home using a reliable measure before the start of kindergarten
(PreK; Whitesell et al., 2015). At the start of kindergarten (K1), screen exposure was measured at 3 different
times each day (dinnertime, bedtime and waketime) via daily parent report for 7 consecutive days. Total
minutes for each time of day were calculated. Children wore actigraphs (AW-64 actiwatches) during the
same period to derive average nighttime sleep duration. Using the Hayes Process Macros in R, we examined
whether screen exposure at different points of the day mediated the relationship between household chaos
and nighttime sleep duration. Three separate models were t to test the mediational effects of screen
exposure at different times of day while controlling for screen exposure at other times of day.
RESULTS: Household chaos at PreK predicted shorter nighttime sleep duration in children at K1 (β =
−.28,SE = .63, p < .001). Chaos also predicted greater exposure to screens at bedtime at K1 (β = .30,SE =
300.46, p < .001) and screen exposure in turn predicted shorter sleep duration at K1 (β = −.24,SE = .0001, p
< .001). The direct pathway between chaos and child sleep remained signicant with the inclusion of screen
exposure (β = −.20,SE = .65, p < .001) but was reduced in magnitude from -.28 to –.20. The indirect effect of
chaos on sleep duration via screen exposure was signicant(β = −.078,BootSE = .04,95% CI [−1.62,−.012])
suggesting that screen exposure at bedtime partially mediated the longitudinal link between chaos and child
sleep. Screen use at other times of day did not function as mediators.
IMPLICATIONS: Our ndings indicate that greater household chaos is linked to more screen use at bedtime
which in turn predicted fewer sleep minutes for children. Although our models suggest that other factors
may contribute to the mediational pathway, it may be important to focus on strategies that allow parents to
manage household chaos in order to reduce bedtime screen exposure and promote better sleep in children.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors have no known conict to declare. This study was supported by a
grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development,
R01HD087266, awarded to Douglas M. Teti.
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From Early Temperament to Later Problematic Media Use:
The Mediating Role of Adolescent Temperament
GURDAL, MAHMUT SAMI1, SMITH, CYNTHIA L.1, CHOI, KOEUN1, BELL, MARTHA ANN2
BACKGROUND: Adolescence is an important stage for psychosocial development when media use habits
can signicantly inuence developmental outcomes. Problematic media use (PMU), characterized by
excessive or uncontrolled media use that disrupts daily functioning, has been linked to adverse effects on
psychological well-being, social relationships, and academic performance, underscoring the importance of
research in this area. Temperament, as a key individual characteristic, may contribute to PMU. Previous
studies have shown that better effortful control (EC) is associated with lower PMU, while lower negative
affectivity (NA) and higher surgency are linked to higher PMU (Coyne et al., 2021). Little is known how
early temperament predicts later PMU; therefore, we examined temperament in middle childhood as a
predictor of temperament in adolescence, which was further hypothesized to predict PMU in adolescence.
METHODS: Data were collected from 191 mothers and children (Mage =9.93, SD=0.75, 54% female) at T1
and 123 (Mage =14.64, SD=1.94, 51% female) at T2. Mothers completed the Early Adolescent Temperament
Questionnaire (Capaldi & Rothbart, 1992) to assess child/adolescent temperament at T1 and T2; surgency,
NA, and EC factors were computed. Adolescents completed the Problematic Media Use Measure at T2
(Domoff et al., 2017). Items assessing preoccupation, tolerance, and withdrawal were used to compute a total
PMU score.
RESULTS: Three mediation models were conducted, with adolescents’ age at T2 included as a covariate
because it was correlated with PMU (r = .18, p = .04). Children’s sex was included as a covariate in models
involving EC and surgency because it was correlated to EC (r = -.25, p = .01) and surgency (r = .23, p = .01)
at T2. EC (B = 0.69, p < .001), NA (B = 0.71, p < .001), and surgency (B = 0.63, p < .001) at T1 signicantly
predicted the corresponding temperament domains at T2. At T2, EC (B = -0.42, p < .001) and NA (B = 0.57,
p = .01) signicantly predicted PMU, while surgency (B = -0.16, p = .36) did not. Temperament at T1 did
not directly predict PMU. EC at T2 (B = -0.29, 95% CI = [-0.49, -0.11]) mediated the relation of T1 EC to T2
PMU. NA at T2 (B = 0.41, 95% CI = [0.14, 0.69]) also mediated the relation of T1 NA to T2 PMU.
IMPLICATIONS: Higher early EC was linked to greater later EC, which, in turn, was associated with lower
PMU levels. Conversely, higher early NA predicted greater later NA, which was associated with higher PMU
levels. These ndings suggest that individual characteristics like temperament are important to consider in
understanding PMU; interventions in middle childhood encouraging more EC, which can also help lower
NA, may help to prevent adolescent PMU.
COI DISCLOSURE: Data collection at T1 was supported by grant R01 HD049878 from the Eunice Kennedy
Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded to Martha Ann Bell.
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Eects of Persuasive App Design and Self-Regulation on
Young Children’s Digital Disengagement: An Acute Experiment
MALLAWAARACHCHI, SUMUDU1,2, CLIFF, DYLAN1,2,
NIELSEN-HEWETT, CATHRINE1,2, WHITE, SONIA L. J.2,3, RADESKY, JENNY4,
HORWOOD, SHARON2,5, JOHNSON, DANIEL2,6, KERVIN, LISA1,2, HOWARD, STEVEN J.1,2
BACKGROUND: The responsibility to actively monitor and manage young children’s screen use falls heavily
on families. Yet, little is known about how design of digital environments, for instance, how persuasive
design driven by commercial objectives may inuence children’s digital engagement and behavior. The
current study is a rst-of-its-kind to investigate the effects of app persuasive design (PD; e.g., rewards,
character pressure, aesthetic manipulation) and children’s self-regulation on their digital disengagement.
METHODS: The study adopted a 3-arm acute experimental design, wherein 73 Australian children aged 3
to 5 years (M=4.29, SD=0.67, 55% female) were randomly assigned to engage with one of three commercial
apps of same genre and theme, yet varying in their PD levels. Children were video-recorded in a controlled
play setting, with a novel ‘Digital Disengagement’ paradigm to assess the time to disengage from app play
and researcher-rated degree of independent disengagement. Children’s self-regulation outside of digital
contexts was assessed by researcher-rated observation (PRSIST; Howard et al., 2019) and direct assessment
(HTKS; McClelland et al., 2018). Randomization success was evaluated using child demographics and
caregiver-reports of child’s regular digital activity and behavior.
RESULTS: General linear models (GLMs) were used to compare the effects of PD condition (high, moderate
and low) and child self-regulation (high and low PRSIST/HTKS) on children’s digital disengagement.
There were no signicant main effects of PD or interactions with self-regulation on disengagement time or
degree of independent disengagement. However, given similar disengagement means in high and moderate
PD conditions, these were collapsed and compared with the low PD condition. In this GLM, signicant
interactions between PD (moderate-high and low) and self-regulation (high and low PRSIST) were found
for disengagement time (F(1, 49)=4.16, p =.047, ηp2=.078) and degree of independent disengagement (F(1,
65)=5.62, p=.021, ηp2=.080), such that children with low self-regulation exposed to moderate-high PD
engaged 95% longer after instructed stop time compared to those with high self-regulation exposed to low
PD.
IMPLICATIONS: This study offers novel insight into which children are more susceptible to extended
digital engagement due to PD. For young children with low self-regulation (PRSIST), exposure to moderate-
high levels of app PD was associated with a reduced ability to disengage from digital devices, in line with
situational requirements. Despite the controlled setting, medium effect sizes (ηp2=.054 to .080; Richardson,
201) and substantially longer disengagement times (e.g., 95% longer after instruction) suggest the results
may be meaningful in the context of children’s everyday digital activity. There is need to evaluate effects of
more controlled PD manipulation, given current research is limited to app conditions that differ beyond PD
features of interest. It is crucial to examine how digital design interacts with children’s individual abilities to
inuence digital activity, rather than treating them independently.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Mallawaarachchi reports grants from ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital
Child (CE200100022) and the Society for Research in Child Development during the conduct of the research
to be presented. In addition, University of Wollongong will own the project IP for the novel open-access
research app tool, which is currently being developed, as part of the project related to the research to be
presented.
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Evaluating Eectiveness of Educational Games in Natural Settings
YOUNGER, JESSICA WISE1, ROBERTS, JEREMY D.1, FELLINE, COSIMO1, CORRADO, KELLY1
BACKGROUND: Digital games have long been recognized for their potential as a tool for teaching
through play. A rich body of research has focused on developing design principles to maximize the efcacy
of educational or ‘serious’ games. However, the efcacy of these designs still depends on the overall
effectiveness of the game, inclusive of how the end user engages with the game. Considering how natural
play patterns of users impacts the effectiveness of games is of particular importance for games designed for
use in an informal environment in which decisions such as time spent and number of attempts is primarily
driven by the player rather than an instructor. As such, to assess the potential impact a game might have
on learning, design principles must consider the efcacy across a wide range of engagement patterns seen
in real usage data. To accomplish this goal, PBS KIDS has conducted large-scale randomized control
experiments to assess how key aspects of game design impact player behaviors. Ultimately, the goal of this
work is to understand how to optimize effectiveness of digital games designed for use in informal contexts
for young children ages two to eight.
METHODS: In this study, we present the results of two experiments conducted by PBS KIDS using two
games created with the goal of teaching players about the design process. One game was designed for a
target age range of four to six, the other for ages six to eight. During the experiments, all users who played
the game on the PBS KIDS Games app were randomly assigned to an experimental condition, and ne-
grained anonymous game play behavioral data was collected for each player. Both experiments examined
how the level of specicity of instructions impacted user behavior. The rst experiment with 1,054,651
enrolled users additionally examined the effect of prompt construction, comparing a question vs statement
format. The second experiment with 567,267 users additionally examined the impact of motivational
elements in the game.
RESULTS: Overall, results showed that there was little difference in user behaviors across conditions.
However, key insights were revealed regarding how users interact with games in an uncontrolled setting. In
the rst experiment, we found that 30% of users chose to skip the instructional prompt with the experimental
manipulation, yet, these users did not perform differently from those that did not skip the instruction. Indeed,
though we hypothesized the experimental conditions would lead to additional interactions ahead of answer
submission, 95% of users immediately pressed submit following the instruction. Yet, there is some evidence
that the experimental conditions did have an impact on a sub-set of users over more engagements. Further
analysis will continue to examine what design elements work well for whom and when.
COI DISCLOSURE: All authors were supported by a grant from the Department of Education to
Corporation for Public Broadcasting that funded the research to be presented.
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RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
DIGITAL MEDIA EXPOSURE
TRACING SOCIAL AND MENTAL
HEALTH IMPACTS ACROSS DEVELOPMENT
TUESDAY, JULY 15TH 2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Longitudinal Associations Between Social Media and Mental
Health Among Adolescents: The COMPASS Study
Madelyn Curle, MPH
FACULTY OF KINESIOLOGY, SPORT, AND RECREATION
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Longitudinal Perspectives on Digital Technology Use,
Peer Relations Problems and Prosocial Behavior in Childhood
Sheri Madigan, PhD, R. Psych
PROFESSOR AND CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR IN DETERMINANTS
OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
University of Calgary and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Teen Girls With Fewer Positive And More Negative Experiences
On Social Media Show Heightened Neural Sensitivity To Social
Evaluation
Jennifer Silk, PhD
PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
University of Pittsburgh
Body Enhanced Social Media Images on Black Women’s Body
Esteem Satisfaction and Attitudes Towards Cosmetic Surgery
Leonna Davis, PhD
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Bowie State University
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Longitudinal Associations Between Social Media And Mental
Health Among Adolescents: The Compass Study
CURLE, MADELYN1, HUNTER, STEPHEN2,3, LEATHERDALE, SCOTT T.4,
PATTE, KAREN A.5, FAULKNER, GARY6, GOLDFIELD, GARY7, BÉLANGER, RICHARD8,
FERRO, MARK A.4, TREMBLAY, ANNE-MARIE TURCOTTE9, CARSON, VALERIE10
BACKGROUND: With rising social media exposure to adolescents, it is vital to understand the impacts of
social media on adolescent mental health and whether these effects differ based on gender. The objectives
of this study were to examine: 1) the longitudinal associations between social media time and mental health
outcomes among a large sample of Canadian adolescents and 2) if associations are moderated by gender.
METHODS: Linked longitudinal data were from waves 10 (2021/22) and 11 (2022/23) of the prospective
cohort study Cannabis, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol, Smoking, and Sedentary behavior
(COMPASS) (n=26,743). The linked longitudinal sample included adolescents in grades 7-12 (secondary 1-5
in Quebec) across ve Canadian provinces and consisted of two time points approximately one year apart.
The exposure variable, measured at both time points, was time spent browsing/scrolling through social
media (e.g. Instagram, TikTok), self-reported with a single item. The outcome variables, measured at both
time points, were anxiety, depression, ourishing, personal relationships, and emotional regulation, reported
via student questionnaire with validated measures. The moderator variable gender was measured at wave 10
and categorized into cisgender girls, cisgender boys, and transgender/gender-diverse adolescents. Covariates
included age, race/ethnicity, and perceived socioeconomic status. Multilevel linear modeling was conducted
adjusting for within-student covariates and clustering within schools and taking into account the repeated
measures.
RESULTS: Across time points, an additional hour/day of social media was signicantly associated with
increased depression symptoms (B=0.58 [0.54, 0.61]) and anxiety symptoms (B=0.42 [0.39, 0.45]) symptoms,
decreased ourishing (B=-0.40 [-0.444, -0.350]), poorer personal relationships (B=-0.19 [-0.20, -0.17]),
and poorer emotional regulation (B=-0.44 [-0.47, -0.42]). Gender was a signicant moderator in all models
(p<0.0001). Cisgender girls experienced signicantly larger unfavourable associations between social media
and depression and anxiety in comparison to cisgender boys and transgender/gender-diverse youth over
time. Cisgender girls also experienced signicantly larger negative associations between social media and
ourishing, personal relationships, and emotional regulation in comparison to cisgender boys.
IMPLICATIONS: Social media was associated with unfavourable mental health outcomes over time in a
large sample of Canadian adolescents, with stronger associations observed in cisgender girls. Findings should
contribute to ongoing policy and legislation discussions surrounding social media use imposing harms to
adolescent mental health, especially for cisgender girls.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors have no conicts of interest to disclose.
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Longitudinal Perspectives on Digital Technology Use,
Peer Relations Problems and Prosocial Behavior in Childhood
AL-JBOURI, ELIZABETH1, NEVILLE, ROSS D.2, MADIGAN, S.1
BACKGROUND: Digital technology is ubiquitous in the lives of children, with potential costs and benets
for development. Some research suggests that digital technology may displace or impede benecial social
interactions; other studies suggest that these concerns are exaggerated. The objectives of the current study
are to examine how different trajectories of digital technology use relate to children’s peer relationships and
prosocial behavior.
METHODS: Data is drawn from waves 2-5 (2010-2019) of the Growing Up in Ireland ’08 cohort, a nationally
representative, longitudinal study. Measures include parental reports on children’s digital technology use,
peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior. Trajectories of digital technology use between ages 3 to
9 years were estimated with latent class growth modelling (LCGM). Conditional regression models, with
parametric bootstrapping, estimated unique trajectories of peer relationship problems and prosocial behavior
based on each child’s trajectory class.
RESULTS: Participants were 3 (N=9793), 5 (N=9001), 7 (N=5344), and 9 (N=8032) years of age at each
wave. The sample was evenly split between boys and girls. Four digital technology use trajectories were
identied: stable low (11%); increasing (35%); decreasing (16%); and stable high (38%). Strong evidence
indicated a difference in peer relationship problems at age 3 between stable high use and the reference
class. Limited evidence indicated differences in peer relationship problems between ages 3 and 9 across
trajectories. Some evidence indicated differences in prosocial behaviors at age 3 between gradually
increasing use and the reference class. Limited evidence indicated differences in prosocial behaviors
between ages 3 and 9 for increasing use and stable high use compared to the reference class. Strong evidence
indicated that prosocial behaviors differed between decreasing use and the reference class, with children in
the decreasing use group showing a steeper and more pronounced increase in prosocial behaviors over time
compared to the reference group.
IMPLICATIONS: Our ndings suggest that consistently high levels of digital technology use may pose a
risk to children’s peer relationships and/or engagement in prosocial behavior, while also challenging the
notion that high technology use invariably leads to poorer prosocial outcomes. These ndings underscore
the importance of a more balanced perspective on the role of technology in children’s lives, considering both
risks and potential benets.
COI DISCLOSURE: The presenting author is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada for this project as of May 2025.
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Teen Girls With Fewer Positive And More
Negative Experiences On Social Media Show
Heightened Neural Sensitivity To Social Evaluation
SILK, JENNIFER1, HUTCHINSON, EMILY1, KILIC, ZELAL1,
HAMILTON, JESSICA2, NESI, JACQUELINE 3, LADOUCEUR, CECILE 4
BACKGROUND: There has been much interest in the role of social media (SM) in the teen mental health
crisis. Parents and media cite fears about how SM use might affect the developing brain, but there is little
research to answer this question. One way in which SM use may affect adolescents’ mental health is by
impacting the functioning of neural circuits that process social threat and reward feedback, which are
thought to underlie transdiagnostic risk for emotional health problems such as depression and suicidality.
However, there is no existing research on this topic. Additionally, most research has relied on retrospective
reports of screentime, and researchers have called for more nuanced investigations of specic aspects of
SM use that may be most impactful. Therefore, we explored how positive and negative SM experiences are
associated with neural responses to social threat and reward using a neuroimaging task that simulates online
feedback from peers.
METHODS: Fifty-two adolescents (ages 12-17) assigned female at birth, half of whom were at high-risk
for suicide, completed the Social Media Behaviors and Experiences Scale, which assesses 40 positive and
negative SM experiences, and measures of depressive symptoms and suicidality. Youth also completed the
Chatroom Interact Task, in which they were chosen (acceptance) or not chosen (rejection) to chat about
various topics by ctitious online peers during fMRI. Analyses focused on ROIs that have been shown to
play a role in processing social threat and reward (i.e. amygdala, anterior insula [AI], subgenual cingulate
[sgACC], and nucleus accumbens [NAcc]).
RESULTS: There was a strong correlation between negative SM experiences and depression (r=.67, p<.001)
and suicidality (r=.54, p<.001), but no interactions between SM experience and brain response in predicting
emotional health. Youth with less positive SM experiences showed greater reactivity to rejection (vs. control)
in the AI (r=-.38, pfdr=.024). Youth with more negative SM experiences showed greater reactivity to
acceptance (vs. control) in the sgACC (r=.32, pfdr=.040) and NAcc (r=.32, pfdr=.040).
IMPLICATIONS: Findings suggest that few positive and more negative SM experiences may shape the
brain to be more attuned to social feedback. Youth with less rewarding SM experiences were more reactive
to rejection in the AI, a region involved in generating subjective feelings. With fewer positive experiences
online, these youths’ brains may be attuned toward cues of negative social value. Conversely, youth who
experience frequent negative experiences online were more responsive to acceptance in the sgACC and
NAcc, regions of the reward circuit. These youth may be vigilant toward their “social value” and are reactive
to acceptance because it is unexpected or of high value. Given strong links between negative SM experience
and depression/suicidality, future longitudinal research should examine whether altered brain function
mediates the link between negative SM experiences and emotional health.
COI DISCLOSURES: The authors have no conicts of interest to report.
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The Influence of Body Enhanced
Social Media Images on the Body Esteem Satisfaction of
Young African American Women’s Desires of Cosmetic Surgery
DAVIS, LEONNA1, HOWARD, SIMON2
BACKGROUND: Body esteem dissatisfaction and the increasing desire for cosmetic surgery have been
linked to exposure to cosmetic surgery-focused social media, particularly among women and girls (Arab
et al., 2019). Social media users between the ages of 16 and 34 make up a signicant portion of those
impacted, with women comprising over 60% of users (Statista, 2021). This study examines whether
exposure to body-enhanced images on social media negatively impacts body esteem and increases cosmetic
surgery intentions among Black women in late adolescence. Hypotheses: (1) Exposure to body-enhanced
images will positively impact attitudes toward cosmetic surgery; (2) Exposure to body-enhanced images
will negatively impact body esteem satisfaction; (3) The relationship between body-enhanced images and
attitudes toward cosmetic surgery will be mediated by body esteem satisfaction.
METHODS: In an online experiment, 179 Black/African American women aged 18–30 were randomly
assigned to view body-enhanced images of Black women, White women, or travel images. Participants then
completed self-report measures, including demographic information, social media use, the Multidimensional
Body-Self Relations Questionnaire – Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS; Cash, 2000), and the Acceptance of
Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS; Henderson-King & Henderson-King, 2005).
RESULTS: Results showed that Black women exposed to body-enhanced images of Black women were
more likely to consider cosmetic surgery than those exposed to images of White women or travel images.
Participants averaged 4–7 hours per day on social media, providing ample opportunity for exposure to
body-enhanced images. Nearly half reported dissatisfaction with their bodies after being exposed to such
images between ages 11–18. Those who viewed body-enhanced images of Black women had lower body
esteem than those who viewed images of White women or travel-related images. Although exposure to
Black body-enhanced images increased cosmetic surgery intentions, the relationship was not mediated by
body esteem. A one-way ANOVA revealed partial support for this hypothesis, with signicant differences
in cosmetic surgery intentions based on image type (Black, White, Travel), F(2, 174) = 3.006, p < .05, η2 =
.033.
IMPLICATIONS: Social media images of body enhancements negatively impact the body esteem and
cosmetic surgery intentions of young Black women. Adolescence is a critical period for body image
development, making this group particularly vulnerable to the inuence of media. The ndings underscore
the need for media literacy interventions and body positivity movements, which promote the acceptance of
diverse body types. Empowerment programs focusing on self-esteem and body image for young women of
color are also crucial to counteract these negative effects.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Davis reports no received grants and personal fees from Bowie State University
during the conduct of the research to be presented; or other support from other sources outside of the
presented work. In addition, Dr. Davis has no patent pending or and summary of additional relationships
described in Section 4.
Posters
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POSTER SESSION I
MONDAY, JULY 14TH
1 Long-Term Perceptual Eects of Digital Media Use
ADDISON F. ANGSTADT
2 Adolescents’ Identity Development in The Digital World
ASLIHAN BASER
3 Exploring the Impact of Social Environment in
Digital and Psychological Wellbeing in Adolescents:
Insights from Bayesian Network Analysis
CARLA BLANDINO
4 Management of Preschool-Aged Children’s Screen Time Inside
and Outside the Home: A Descriptive Study of Practices in
Disadvantaged and Non-Disadvantaged Communities
MARIE-ANDRÉE BINET
5 Social Media Values Predict State-Level Digital Social
Experiences During Adolescence
MARGARET V. BREHM
6 Eectiveness of a Multi-Modal SEL Program on Child Outcomes
MAMATHA CHARY
7 The Interplay Between Problematic Smartphone Use, Depression,
and Creative Personality in Adolescents:
A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Model
JING CHEN
8 Who is Most at Risk for Body Esteem Problems Aer Being on Social
Media? A Dierential Susceptibility with Adolescents
SARAH M. COYNE
9 Parental Involvement in Childhood Physical Activity and
Screen Time in Emerging Adulthood
EMMA CRISTINI
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10 “You Go Through So Many Emotions Scrolling Through Instagram”:
How Teens Use Instagram to Regulate Their Emotions
KATIE DAVIS
11 Parents’ Phone Use Before and Aer a 21-Day Observation
Period with Daily Reflection on Media Use
ELEANOR DESING
12 What do we Know about Digital Media Use in Swiss
Preschool-Aged Children? Results from the SWIPE Study
NEVENA DIMITROVA
13 The Role of Youth as Experts in Improving the
Eectiveness of Digital Media Literacy Interventions
KYRA DINGLE
14 Associations between Postsecondary Students’ Lifestyle
Habits and Positive Mental Health: A Gender-Based Analysis
CAROLINE FITZPATRICK
15 Meditation in Virtual Reality:
The Future of Wellness Spaces for Adolescents
CYNTHIE GAETZ
16 Individual Factors Associated With High-Risk
Digital Media Use Among Youth In Psychiatric Crisis
MEREDITH GANSNER
17 Maternal Screen use Habits and Patterns of Breastfeeding:
A Prospective Longitudinal Study Using a
Canadian Representative Population-Based Cohort
CAROLINE FITZPATRICK
18 The SMaRT Mom Intervention – Partial Abstinence Alters
Neural Processing in Parietal Regions of Breastfeeding Mothers
with Excessive Smartphone Use to Smartphone Cues –
Initial Results of an ERP Study
LILACH GRAFF NOMKIN
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19 Smartphone Use And Mental Health Outcomes Among Children And
Adolescents:
Preliminary Results From The Smartkids Quebec Study
ROSEANE DE FATIMA GUIMARAES
20 Entertainment Media’s Influence on Suicidal Thoughts and
Behaviors: A Nationwide Text Survey of Youth in the United States
JANE HARNESS
21 Empowering Teen Leaders in Digital Civics: Co-Designing and
Piloting a Hybrid Program Focused on Digital Rights and Advocacy
DANIELLA IVANIR
22 Overthinking Over Screens: Girls Ruminate More Aer Negative
Social Media Interactions with Peers Compared to In-Person
Interactions
ZELAL KILIC
23 Uncovering Loneliness and a Need for Community in Young People
on Reddit Who Identify as Having Dissociative Identity Disorder
SUSAN KRUGLINSKI
24 How Teens Say Social Media Impacts Their Pressures and Burnout
AMANDA LENHART
25 Executive Functions and Language Development of Young Children
and Caregivers’ Screen Devices:
A Study Based on the Ecological Systems Theory Focusing on
Caregivers’ Screen Device Usage and Attitude
HUI-LI LIN
26 Adolescent and Parent Perceptions of Electronic Media Use in China:
Factor Structure and Patterns of Use Measured by the Media Activity
Form (MAF)
XIAOXUAN (PRISCILLA) LIU
27 Development and Evaluation of an Intervention Targeting Parents
of Adolescents At- risk for Gaming Disorder
CAMILLA LO
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28 Factors Underlying the Association Between Children’s Screen Time
Duration and Health-Related Quality of Life
CAMILLA LO
29 Eectiveness of a New Scout-Based Program on Working Memory in
Social Media Addicted Individuals: A Case Report
ISMAIL LOURAGLI
30 Re-Embodiment In The Era Of Digital Appendages:
Re-Encountering Self, Other, And The Natural World
R.C. MACDOUGALL
31 Movimento Desconecta: A Brazilian Initiative For
Smartphone-Free Childhood Through Community Leadership
CAMILA BRUZZI
32 Exploring Adolescents’ Own, Friends’, and Peers’ Social Media
Experiences in Relation to Mental Health and Advice for Others:
A Latent Class Approach
CHELLY MAES
33 The Common Sense Census:
Media Use by Kids Age Zero to Eight, 2024
SUPREET MANN
34 How Preschoolers’ Media Use Contributes to
Later Weight Outcomes at the Start of Elementary School
JACLYN MCNEIL
35 Looks and Likes: Exploring the Association Between
Sexual Objectification and Social Media Appearance Concerns
Among Late Adolescents
COURTNEY MEDINA
36 Screen Time Use and Food Approach Behaviors
in Preschool-Aged Children
IVAN MENDOZA
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37 Empowering Digital Inclusion:
Adapting a Social Media Skills Intervention for Families
Impacted by Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
ANTHONY OSUNA
38 Exploring the Role of Child Temperament, Parental Stress, and
Disruptive Phone Use in Preschoolers’ Problematic Media Use
MERYEM SEYDA OZCAN
39 Longitudinal Changes in Inhibitory Control and Attention in
Early Adolescents with Excessive Screen Time Use
EUNYOUNG PARK
40 A Mediating Role For Caeine Use in the Longitudinal Relationship
Between Gaming And Sleep Concerns In Developing Youth
JENNIFER J. PARK
41 Neural Networks Predictive Of Problematic Gaming In Adolescents
JENNIFER J. PARK
42 Hiding in Plain Sight: Instagram Violates the DSA by Serving as a
Gateway for a Vast Network of Pedophiles
GRETCHEN PETERS
43 Physiological Responses to Social Media Detox:
A Randomized Control Study With, By, and For Teen Girls
DESTINEE RAMOS
44 Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Its Association with Mental
Well-being Among University Students in Sri Lanka
M.C. RASMIN
45 The Technology Use and Sleep of American Adolescents: Updated
Findings from a National Sleep Foundation Population Survey
DAVID A. REICHENBERGER
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46 Does Physical Activity Mitigate the Negative Eects of Problematic
Smartphone Use on Adolescent Sleep Quality?
Preliminary Analysis of the SmarteensCohortStudy
MICHAEL P. SILVAS
47 “I Feel Like my Brain is Fried”: Exploring Children’s Perspectives of
Their (Problematic) Device use
CARA SWIT
48 Categorizing Problematic Youth Social Media Use as a Wicked
Problem
JANA THOMAS
49 Bidirectional Associations of Problematic Social Media Use and
Problematic Gaming with Mental Health Diiculties and Strengths
in Adolescents: Sex and Social Support as Potential Moderators
LUKA TODOROVIĆ
50 Leveraging School-Based Targets to Address the Impact of Screen
Use on Child and Youth Mental Health
KIMBERLEY TSUJIMOTO
51 Adolescent Smartphone Distraction Management in Dierent
Contexts: A Latent Profile Analysis
YUNQI WANG
52 The Impact of Zoom’s Self-View Feature on Cognitive and Aective
Functioning Among Those with ADHD Symptoms
ABIGAIL WEIR
53 Formative and Summative Evaluation of the Talk More, Tech Less
30-day program
DAWN WIBLE
54 Screen Time at Bedtime:
A Predictor of Sleep Duration in Young Children
ISABEL WILDER
55 Multidimensional Perspectives of Parental Media Use:
A Latent Transition Analysis
JASMINE ZHANG
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POSTER SESSION II
TUESDAY, JULY 15TH
56 Battling the Digital Shadows: How Ghana is Advancing Child
Online Protection Against Poverty-Driven OCSEA, Cyberbullying,
Sextortion, and Cyber Trauma – A Model for Africa
EMMANUEL ADINKRAH
57 Parent Education, Child Age, and Background Television
Exposure in the United States
DAVID BARNSTONE
58 Digital Media Exposure and Young Children’s
Socio-Emotional Development: A Meta-Analysis
RACHEL BARR
59 Digital Technologies and Wellbeing:
Ethnographic Insights from Turkish Diasporic Youth in London, UK
EBRU BASER
60 Prospective Associations Between Parental
Screen Use Profiles and Child Executive Functions
MARIE-ANDRÉE BINET
61 Patterns of Multilingual Media Exposure in the Home:
From the Child’s Perspectives
MCCALL BOOTH
62 Optimizing Screen Time with Digital Picture Books
ADRIANA BUS
63 Step it Out, Wombats! PBS KIDS Resources Promote Sequencing
Skills in Young Children
CLAIRE CHRISTENSEN
64 YouTube’s ABCs and 123s:
Describing the Quality of Early Literacy and Math Videos on YouTube
CLAIRE CHRISTENSEN
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65 Caregivers’ Content, Teens’ Consent:
Social Media Risks and Rewards
LAUREL AYNNE COOK
66 Background Screen Exposure At Age 3.5 Is
Associated With Worse Problem-Solving Skills At 4.5 Years
EMMA CRISTINI
67 High Levels Of Early Childhood Exposure To Background
Media Are Associated With Decreased Eortful Control By Age 5
EMMA CRISTINI
68 Beyond the Limits: The Impact of Parental Mediation on
Filipino School-Age Children’s Screen Time
ANNALYN DE GUZMAN CAPULONG
69 Parent-Youth Tension Regarding Technology Usage in a
Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis Sample
LAUREN EALES
70 Beyond Resources:
Building Connection and Community Supports for Digital Health
ROXANNE ETTA
71 Associations Between Parental Mental Health and Wellbeing and
Preschool-aged Children’s Screen use in a Low-Income Urban
Brazilian Sample
CAROLINE FITZPATRICK
72 From Stories to STEM:
Using AI to Co-Create Culturally Relevant Science Narratives
ARIA GASTÓN-PANTHAKI
73 Digital Media Use among School-Aged Dual Language Learners in
Chinese American Families: Links to Socioecological Factors and
Children’s Oral Language Proficiencies
CHRIS L. GYS
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74 International Public Opinion on Digital Media Use for Youth and
Schools
LAUREN HALE
75 Use of Focus Group Methodology to Gather Youth Voice
About Digital Media Use
MAREE HAMPTON
76 Is 13 Too Young? Validation of the Digital Flourishing Scale for
Adolescents (DFS-A) & Implications for U.S. Social Media Legislation
RACHEL HANEBUTT
77 Mapping Adolescent Digital Wellbeing: A Scoping Review to Define,
Study, and Improve Relationships with Technology
RACHEL HANEBUTT
78 Associations Between Digital Technology Use and Well-being in the
Early Schooling Years: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
JACUELYN HARVERSON
79 From Tools to Companions:
Teens’ Usage and Perceptions of AI Products
KATRINA HO
80 Temporal Associations Between Parents’ Daily Reports of Infant
Aect, Media Motivations, and Parenting Behavior
HEATHER KIRKORIAN
81 In-home Activities and Media Use during Mother-Infant Dyadic Play
EMILY K. KRAMER
82 Media and Mood in Black Adolescent Socialization
DANIEL LABROUSSE
83 Exploring Teens’ Uses and Ethical Concerns About AI
ROTEM LANDESMAN
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84 Young Children and AI: Surveying the Landscape
ROTEM LANDESMAN
85 Children’s Susceptibility to Content Generated by Artificial
Intelligence
ALLISON LANGER
86 Is It Okay to Post My Child on Social Media?: Parents’ Posting
Children on Social Media and Preschoolers’ Social Anxiety
MICHAEL LANGLAIS
87 Classroom Learning and Critical Reflection: The Mediating
Role of Critical Content Creation and Action for Black Youth
TATE LEBLANC
88 Exploring Dierences Between Parents’ Perceptions
and Mediation of ChatGPT and Social Media
JENNICA LI
89 Adolescents Mobilizing Knowledge on Sustainability
Through Immersive Storytelling
PAULA MACDOWELL
90 Young Children’s Beliefs About And Learning From Digital Media
CARLA MACIAS
91 Unpacking the Eects of Screen Time: A Mega (Meta) Analysis on
Children’s Cognitive, Academic, and Socioemotional Outcomes
SHERI MADIGAN
92 Early Childhood Screen Use Contexts and Cognitive and
Psychosocial Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
SUMUDU MALLAWAARACHCHI
93 Digital Literacy for Young Minds:
Evaluating Cyber Hygiene and Digital Safety Education
for Public School Students in Puducherry, India
SIVA MATHIYAZHAGAN
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94 Online Racial Discrimination and Suicidal Ideation Among Black
Youth in the U.S.
ASHLEY MAXIE-MOREMAN
95 Momentary Eects of Maternal Smartphone Use on Infant Behavior
and Emotions
BRANDON T. MCDANIEL
96 Digital Parenting Challenges in the Context of
Bronfenbrenner’s PPCT Model: A Study of Australian Parents
STEPHANIE MILFORD
97 The Role of Playful Learning in Young Children’s Digital Play:
A Scoping Review
DOUGLAS PIPER
98 Phantom Technoference: Social Media Time and Decreased
Parent Interaction When Smartphone is Not in Use
ELIZABETH ROBINSON
99 Synchrony Across Screens:
How does Joint Caregiver Sensitivity Shape Infant Emotional and
Attentional Engagement During Video Chat?
ELLEN C. ROCHE
100 Parental Mediation of Early Adolescent Media Use: Latent Profiles
and Associations with Youth Adjustment and Digital Behavior
WENDY M. ROTE
101 Protective Power of Ethnic Identity:
Video Game Use and Adjustment Among Marginalized Adolescents
HUGO SALAZAR
102 Examining the Influence of Educational and Entertainment Media
on the Quality and Quantity of Mother-Child Language During
Coviewing
WILLOW S. SAUERMILCH
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103 Screen Time, Mobile Device Use, and Availability of Books
in Low- and High-Income Brazilian Preschool Children
ANDRÉIA SCHMIDT
104 Examining the Relationship Between Smartphone and Tablet Usage
and Child Development: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Analysis
of the Smartkids Cohort Study
MICHAEL P. SILVA
105 Investigating the Association between Simultaneous Screen Use and
Academic Motivation:
The Mediating Role of Internalizing Symptoms
JONATHAN SMITH
106 Parents View Entertainment and Educational Content Dierent:
The Associations of Parental Attitudes and Anxieties About Their
Children’s Futures
ALLYSON L. SYNDER
107 Aordances Of Smartphone Ownership In Childhood:
A Developmental Approach
ALLISON STARKS
108 Re-imagining Reading: How Reluctant Readers Would Design Their
Own Educational Technology
MEDHA TARE
109 Social Media Monitoring Eicacy Among Parents of Adolescents in
the United States
SAMANTHA VIGIL
110 A Latent Profile Analysis Approach to Examining the Nuance in
LGBTQ Teen Phone Use and Related Outcomes: An ABCD Study
KYLIE FALCIONE WOODMAN
111 From Play to Pay: An International Survey of Parental
Perspectives on In-Game Purchase Mechanisms
JASMINE ZHANG
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112 Digital Bonding:
An Examination of Intergenerational Play on Video Chat
JENNIFER M. ZOSH
113 Understanding the Filtered Self: A Latent Profile Analysis of Beauty
Filter Use Motives and Behaviors in College Students
YANZHUO (AMY) NIU
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#1
Long-Term Perceptual Eects of Digital Media Use
ANGSTADT, ADDISON F.1, HACKERT, VICTORIA1, GERHARDSTEIN, PETER1
BACKGROUND: The oblique effect describes heightened perceptual sensitivity to horizontal and vertical
lines relative to oblique lines (Mach, 1861; Appelle, 1972). Visual environments contain differing anisotropy
(proportion of horizontal and vertical contours) levels. The oblique effect’s intensity varies based on
experience with different visual contexts, such that people living in more natural environments, containing
lower anisotropy, show less altered sensitivity than people living in urban or “carpentered” environments,
with increased anisotropy (Segall et al., 1966, Annis & Frost, 1973). Just four hours of digital media exposure
can increase the oblique effect’s magnitude (Hipp et al., 2020). Since digital content tends to be more
anisotropic than naturalistic or even urban environments (Duggan & Gerhardstein, 2023), it is reasonable to
predict that ongoing (particularly, extensive) exposure to digital media can also inuence the oblique effect’s
intensity. This work seeks to explore digital media use’s long-term effects on visual perception, specically
regarding the oblique effect. We hypothesize that participants with a clinical risk of digital media overuse
(particularly in digital gaming or social media use) will show increased oblique effect magnitudes compared
to participants without clinical risk.
METHODS: 114 adult participants recruited via a participant pool consented to participation. The Digital
Media Overuse Scale (dMOS; Hipp et al., 2023) measured participants’ digital media overuse risk across ve
domains, including smartphone, social media, gaming, Twitch, and video streaming. Three behavioral tasks
measured the oblique effect’s intensity in participants. An eye-tracking contour detection task measured
participants’ saccadic landing time when searching for horizontal, vertical, and oblique lines in a visually
noisy environment. An orientation threshold task required participants to view Gabor patches at orientations
deviating from a standard orientation and press a button indicating where the stimulus pointed. Finally,
a random dot kinematogram (RDK) coherence threshold task required participants to view moving dots
and determine the direction most dots were moving in, with changing coherence across trials (again, base
orientation was manipulated).
RESULTS: Using participants’ performance, we calculated a ‘canonical bias’ indicator, reecting their
individual oblique effect level for each task. To establish a link between digital media use and the oblique
effect, we performed a linear regression. The results indicate that dMOS score is not a signicant predictor
of canonical bias score. Therefore, we conclude that there is a notable difference between screen exposure
(found to affect perception) and concern for one’s own digital media use, which does not have a direct
connection to perception.
IMPLICATIONS: These ndings provide evidence regarding a cognitive disconnect between perceptions of
screen use and sheer hours of screen exposure. Follow-up studies will incorporate measures of estimated use
and measures of actual use to better understand this disconnect.
COI DISCLOSURE: The researchers report no conicts of interest related to the research presented. There
are no nancial relationships, afliations, or personal interests that could be perceived as inuencing the
work.
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#2
Adolescents’ Identity Development in The Digital World
BASER, ASLIHAN1,2, FASSI, LUISA1,
LEYLAND-CRAGGS, AMELIA1, ORBEN, AMY1, BURN, ANNE-MARIE2
BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, the prevalence of mental health (MH) conditions among young
people (YP) and their social media use have both increased. However, the evidence on whether the
introduction of social media is causing increased MH conditions in adolescents is inconclusive. The
overreliance on research on measures that capture only ‘time spent online’ is one reason for this impasse.
The majority of existing measures still overlook the developmental process that is key to studying
adolescents’ mental health. One important aspect of YP’s experiences as a social media user is identity
development, a process around which adolescents’ core needs and goals revolve. To address this gap, we
explore how social experiences contribute to adolescents’ identity development. Our main research questions
are:
1. Does social media use contribute to adolescents’ identity development?
2. Does identity development and its interaction with social media use differ based on adolescents’ age,
gender and well-being?
METHODS: We employed grounded theory research design to explore the lived experiences of adolescent’s
social media use. Through purposive sampling, we recruited young people aged 16-22, who reported using
at least two social media platforms regularly, focusing on including gender-diverse participants. The sample
was categorized by age (16-18 and 19-22), gender (male, female and non-binary) and well- being score
(scoring above/below cut off on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)). Semi- structured focus groups
were conducted online and video-recorded for thematic analysis using NVivo12.
RESULTS: We identied three key themes. The rst, “Discovering Their Identity,” captures how participants
used social media to follow relatable content, helping them navigate the process of self-discovery by
exploring their interests and hobbies, experimenting with new lifestyle ideas and self-expression. The
second theme, Social Media as a Tool to Find Group Identities’, reects how participants sought connections
with like-minded people and found their (online) communities which alleviated feelings of loneliness and
fostered a sense of belonging. This was especially important for non-binary participants who highlighted the
supportive nature of these communities online. Lastly, ‘Social Media as an Identity Partner’ also emerged
as a theme, illustrating how participants used social media to document their narratives with creative
content, serving as a digital memory keeper. Many described curating idealized online proles that often
differed from their ofine selves and blended self- expression with identity experimentation. There are
many advantages to using social media and how it helps explore and express young people’s identities, but
adolescents also highlighted additional concerns about privacy, well-being, feelings of fear of missing out
and feeling disconnected from their old posts and identities. Overall, these ndings highlight the importance
of capturing social media use beyond time spent. We show that identity development is a key process to
consider when studying the relationship between social media and mental health.
COI DISCLOSURE: This study is funded by CERES Scholars Interdisciplinary Team Projects 2022-23; R(G)
= G114119.
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#3
Exploring the Impact of Social Environment in
Digital and Psychological Wellbeing in Adolescents:
Insights from Bayesian Network Analysis
BLANDINO, CARLA 1, TOBIA, VALENTINA 2,
CREMONA, AGNESE 3, VICARD, PAOLA 4, BROMBIN, CHIARA 1
BACKGROUND: Social media play a crucial role in maintaining and developing social relationships in
the digital era, representing a virtual space where online social comparison primarily occurs through self-
image representation. Digital interactions have also profoundly transformed our relationship with the self-
image and the process underlying its construction. Being seen and seeing others in virtual spaces represents
an extraordinary novel experience. While opening up unexplored opportunities for positive forms of social
connections, it may have detrimental effects on psychological and social well-being, due to the dynamics
of social comparison triggered online. This is especially crucial for younger and more vulnerable users,
who may lack adequate digital literacy skills. Focusing on adolescents as target group, we hypothesize and
examine, within a multidimensional statistical framework, how sociopsychological factors such as different
types and patterns of use of social media, sele behaviors and social environment differentially shape self-
image representation in digital settings and impact the psychological well-being of users.
METHODS: An online survey has been designed to measure domain-related constructs including ad hoc-
realized questions and validated psychometric tools. It was administered to 1208 adolescents of all genders,
aged 12 to 21, recruited from Italian middle and high schools. Bayesian Networks have been adopted to
disentangle the complex interrelationships among social media use, sele behaviour, relationship with the
digital self-image, internalizing symptoms, and the role of socialization agents. In this framework, data
dependence structure is learnt from data allowing to implement “what-if” analysis. This allows to evaluate
how changes in, or evidence on, one or more variables propagate throughout the network to all other
variables and to evaluate alternative hypothetical scenarios depending on the specic interests of various
stakeholders, such as parents, educators, health professionals, or policymakers.
RESULTS: The estimated Bayesian Networks revealed that when adolescents perceive high levels of social
support, their preference for online interactions decreases, along with the tendency to use social media
as a mood regulation tool. Positive relationships with peers and teachers increase, self-clarity improves,
and internalizing symptoms decrease. Conversely, if adolescents feel phubbed by their parents, perceived
family social support decreases, negatively impacting psychological well-being: this is reected in increased
internalizing symptoms and appearance anxiety, reduced self-clarity. A shift in online behavior is also
evident in terms of increased time spent online, preference for online interactions, TikTok use along with a
greater tendency to use social media as a mood regulator.
IMPLICATIONS: The ndings emphasize the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of the phenomenon. In
a hyperconnected society, it becomes crucial to promote digital wellbeing and healthier online behavior,
strengthening digital skills and sensitizing younger users towards more responsible use of digital
technologies. The applied methodology offers an appealing statistical tool to support stakeholders in
decision-making processes related to social media use and regulation.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was supported by the European Union - Next Generation EU, Mission 4,
Component 1 CUP D46F23000110004. The authors declare no conict of interest.
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#4
Management of Preschool-Aged Children’s Screen Time
Inside and Outside the Home: A Descriptive Study of
Practices in Disadvantaged and Non-Disadvantaged Communities
*BINET, M.-A.2, *JOLICOEUR, M.-P.1, BÉDARD, S.3, FITZPATRICK, C.3
BACKGROUND: Early childhood screen use has increased, especially in families facing more
socioeconomic disadvantage. Child screen use can be shaped by management practices set by actors in
children’s immediate (ex., home, daycare) and more distal (ex., government, industry) settings. The extent
to which parents believe different actors should play a role in the management of child screen use remains
unknown. The objective of the present study is to examine and compare rule setting by actors inside and
outside the homes of disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged families.
METHODS: This study draws on data collected from parents in 2024 (N=376) in Quebec, Canada. The
sample consists of families with preschool-aged children (Mage=3.61 years, 39.5% disadvantaged). Parents
reported the existence of rules (yes or no) surrounding child screen use inside and outside their homes.
Parents also indicated all actors they perceived should be responsible for managing child screen use (e.g.
parents, government). Frequencies were estimated for the whole sample, and chi square tests were used to
examine differences between disadvantaged and non disadvantaged families.
RESULTS: According to most parents, child screen use rules exist inside (77.3%) and outside (46.2%) the
child’s home, with no difference between disadvantaged and non disadvantaged parents. Parents reported
that a variety of actors play a role in shaping their child screen use. These include parents (92.3%), daycares
(63.3%), schools (59.2%), public health organizations (30.1%), government (24.5%), industry (23.7%), and
healthcare professionals (21.9%). Most families (76.4%) endorsed that in addition to themselves, at least
one other actor is responsible for their child’s appropriate screen use, though this was more common in non
disadvantaged families (82.4% vs 69.9%, χ2(1) = 7.805, p = 0.005). Compared to disadvantaged parents,
non disadvantaged parents we more likely to believe that daycares are responsible for children’s appropriate
screen use (69.2% vs 54.2%, χ2(1) = 9.078, p = 0.003).
IMPLICATIONS: We found that both disadvantaged and non disadvantaged parents reported similar
frequencies of rule setting both inside and outside of the child’s home, suggesting similar levels of
preoccupation towards child screen use regardless of socioeconomic contexts. Future research will examine
differences in the nature and content of rules established by disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged parents.
Non disadvantaged families were more likely to believe that external actors play a role in shaping child
screen use. As such, targeting parent-daycare partnership may enhance the development of early childhood
screen use interventions.
COI DISCLOSURE: Marie-Andrée Binet is funded by a scholarship from the Canada Institutes of Health
Research. All phases of this study were supported by an establishment grant from the Fonds de Recherche
du Québec – Société et Culture : Action Concertées.
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#5
Social Media Values Predict State-Level
Digital Social Experiences During Adolescence
BREHM, MARGARET V.1, CHOUKAS-BRADLEY, SOPHIA1,
GRIFFITH, JULIANNE M.1,2, LADOUCEUR, CECILE D.2, SILK, JENNIFER S.1
BACKGROUND: Adolescents today face rising rates of disconnectedness and social anxiety alongside near-
constant digital media use, prompting debate about technology’s role in teen wellbeing. Emerging evidence
suggests that the effects of digital media might substantially vary across teens, raising the need to understand
what factors related to digital media use are most impactful in understanding teens’ online experiences.
One potential factor is how much teens value using digital media for their social relationships, which might
encapsulate why and how teens engage with their friends online (Boyd et al., 2024; Moreno et al., 2020). For
example, a teen who places high importance on using digital media for social connection may be more likely
to engage with technology in ways that promote their relationships. We hypothesized that greater valuing of
digital social connection would be associated with greater connectedness, lower social anxiety, and lower
perceived social rejection after daily-life digital peer interactions. Additionally, we hypothesized that high
momentary social comparison would disrupt the positive effects of valuing on the three daily life digital
outcomes, given evidence that increased social comparison may cause online interactions to be viewed in a
more self-oriented or critical manner.
METHODS: A sample of 94 adolescents enriched for suicide risk (Mage=15.5, 68% at high risk for suicide,
23.4% gender diverse, all assigned female at birth) completed a self-report measure assessing the extent
to which they value social media for their social connections. Approximately ve weeks later, participants
completed three ten-day bursts of ecological momentary assessment (90 total surveys; 67.6% average
completion rate). In each survey, teens reported on their most recent digital social interactions, including
their level of social comparison, online connectedness, social anxiety, and perceived social rejection. Age and
survey engagement rate were used as covariates throughout analyses. Average screentime, obtained through
passively sensed smartphone data, was used as a covariate in sensitivity analyses (n=63).
RESULTS: Multilevel models revealed that greater valuing of digital social connections was associated with
greater peer connectedness (b=4.47, p=.016) and greater social anxiety (b=5.25, p=.032) in teens’ daily digital
lives. Momentary social comparison was a signicant moderator of the association between valuing and
social anxiety (b=-0.06, p<.001), such that valuing predicted anxiety only when social comparison was low.
Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that higher average screentime was also signicantly associated with lower
connectedness (b=-1.59, p=.038), greater social anxiety (b=2.74, p=.009), and greater perceived rejection
(b=2.22, p=.004).
IMPLICATIONS: Highly valuing social media may be a double-edged sword, in that teens may experience
greater peer connectedness but also greater social anxiety in their online lives. Results speak to the utility
of social media values for predicting online outcomes, a worthwhile nding given the need to understand
individual-level factors that may make teens vulnerable to both positive and negative effects of technology.
COI DISCLOSURE: This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH124866,
PIs: Jennifer Silk and Cecile Ladouceur). There is no conict of interest to disclose.
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#6
Eectiveness of a Multi-Modal SEL Program on Child Outcomes
CHARY, MAMATHA1, WRIGHT, CHARLOTTE1, LEVOS, JODY1, KAPLAN, MICHELLE2, GIBSON, AKIMI2
BACKGROUND: Socio-emotional learning (SEL) includes the ability to name, understand and manage
one’s emotions as well as show empathy and pro-social behavior (Collaborative for Academic Social and
Emotional Learning, 2012). The early years of 0-5 years of age are a ripe time for growth in SEL skills and
emotional literacy, when children are developing and learning about their own emotions and social worlds
through interactions with their families, other caregivers, and peers. Vast amounts of empirical research
underscores the importance of SEL curricula in preschools as well as its long lasting benecial effects
(for a meta-analysis, see Murano, 2020). Since SEL skills can be taught in multiple ways such as through
caring relationships, hands-on play, digital games, stories and books, and so on, Begin Learning and Sesame
Workshop created a comprehensive product that leverages all of these learning modalities into one program-
Learn with Sesame Street (LWSS). LWSS includes an app, three physical kits, and a Grown-Up Guide
with parent classes, blogs, and play tips, all designed to help children learn emotion identication, emotion
regulation, and pro-social skills.
METHODS: In this study, we used a within-subjects design to assess whether using the LWSS program
resulted in gains in children’s knowledge about emotions, regulation strategies and social skills related to
turn-taking, showing kindness to others, joining play etc. Participants included 12 families with a child
between the ages of 2.5-4.5 from Northern CA (8 girls, 4 boys). Families completed a pre-test, used the
LWSS program for 3 weeks, and completed a post-test. In both pre and post tests, parents completed the
Children’s Emotional Adjustment Scale (Thorlacius & Gudmundsson, 2019), Early Emotion Regulation
Behavior Questionnaire (Perry & Dollar, 2021), Social Skills Rating Scale (Fantuzzo, Manz, & McDermott,
1998), Demographics Questionnaire and General Knowledge of Emotions and Regulation. At the post-test,
they also completed a feedback and Learnings interview. Children completed the Expressive Vocabulary Test
(Williams, 1997) and adapted versions of the Emotion Matching Task (Morgan, Izard, & King, 2009) and
Cole Puppet Task (Cole & Jacobs, 2018) in both pre and post tests.
RESULTS: Paired sample tests showed that children made signicant gains on emotion matching ability,
(t(11) = -2.88, p = .015) , situation-emotion knowledge (t(11) = -2.46, p = .032), expressive emotion knowledge
(t(11) = -2.76, p = .018), and receptive emotion knowledge (t(11) = -2.84, p = .008). Children used a higher
number of advanced emotion vocabulary words at Time 2, t(10) = -3.54, p = .005. Parents also reported an
increase in the number of emotion words their children used and this change was approaching statistical
signicance, t((11) = 1.72, p = .113. Parents reported an increase in their child’s likelihood to use healthy self-
regulation strategies after using LWSS (mindfulness strategies: t(11) = -1.82, p < .1, sensory strategies: t(11)
= -2.79, p < .05). Highly engaged program users showed greater increases in using mindfulness strategies
compared to moderate/low engaged users. Parents did not report a change in children’s social skills or
prosocial behavior. Interviews with parents revealed children used emotion words more frequently in their
day to day life (N = 7), used more advanced emotion words such as frustrated or nervous (N = 7), and used
more regulation strategies such as breathing techniques or sensory techniques (N = 9).
IMPLICATIONS: Use of the LWSS program resulted in signicant gains on emotion knowledge and
regulation skills in children. This suggests that LWSS could be an effective program for teaching young
children emotion identication, emotion vocabulary, and regulation strategies. It also provides support for the
multi-modal learning framework that attempts to capitalize on the affordances of different modes of learning
(digital, hands-on, experiential), thus creating a learning environment that engages children holistically
(Rodrigues & Bidarra, 2014).
COI DISCLOSURE: This study was funded by Begin Learning.
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#7
The Interplay Between Problematic Smartphone Use,
Depression, and Creative Personality in Adolescents:
A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Model
CHEN, JING1, HONG, YEA-JI2, CHOI, KOEUN1
BACKGROUND: Creative personality refers to stable or semi-stable individual characteristics, such as
openness, that support creative behaviors (Feist, 1998). It plays an important role for adolescents as they
navigate problem-solving, and academic growth (Gu et al., 2016; Hong et al., 2014). Adolescents’ creativity-
related characteristics can both inuence and be inuenced by individual and contextual factors, including
personal behavioral and emotional challenges and parental factors. Problematic smartphone use (PSU),
excessive smartphone use characterized by psychological or behavioral dependence on the device, has been
shown to be linked to reduced brain activity during creative idea generation (Li et al., 2023). Furthermore,
depressive symptoms, shown to reduce cognitive exibility and intrinsic motivation (Vilgis et al., 2015).
However, longitudinal dynamics involving these factors remain unclear. This study addresses this gap by
examining the longitudinal interplay among adolescents’ creative personality, PSU, and depression, alongside
potential contributions from maternal PSU.
METHODS: Participants included 1,937 adolescents (53.3% males) and their mothers, with assessments
conducted annually across 5 waves. Adolescents in Wave 1 were in the 1st grade of middle school
(approximately 12–13 years old). Measures included maternal and adolescent PSU (Kim et al., 2012),
adolescent depression (Kim et al.,2010), and adolescent creative personality (Creative Personality Scale;
Gough & Hilbrun, 1983). Adolescent gender, maternal education, and time-varying household income were
also reported.
RESULTS: We tted a cross-lagged panel model, which exhibited strong t indices (TLI = .922, CFI = .938,
RMSEA = .052, SRMR = .040). Adolescent PSU exhibited stability and a signicant positive cross-lagged
effect on depression across waves, indicating that higher PSU is longitudinally associated with increased
depressive symptoms (e.g., Wave 1 PSU → Wave 2 Depression: β = 0.06**). Depression, in turn, had a
signicant negative effect on creative personality, showing that higher depressive symptoms are linked to
lower creativity longitudinally (e.g., Wave 4 → Wave 5: β = -0.09***). Further, depression mediated the
relation between adolescent PSU and creative personality (e.g., Wave 2 PSU → Wave 3 Depression → Wave
4 Creative Personality: β = -0.01*, 95% CI [-0.01, -0.01]). While maternal PSU demonstrated signicant
stability over time, it did not predict adolescent’s PSU, depression, and creative personality.
IMPLICATIONS: These ndings underscore the importance of addressing adolescent PSU and mental health
as interconnected factors inuencing creative development. Maternal PSU did not emerge as a signicant
predictor of adolescent behaviors, emphasizing the central role of adolescents’ own behaviors and emotional
states. Interestingly, adolescent creative personality showed strong temporal stability, indicating that while
depressive symptoms negatively inuenced creative personality, the trait retained its longitudinal consistency.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose.
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#8
Who is Most at Risk for Body Esteem
Problems Aer Being on Social Media?
A Dierential Susceptibility Approach with Adolescents
COYNE, SARAH M.1, VAN ALFEN, MEGAN1, JAMES, PHIA1, HIRSCHI, TALISE1,
DENSELY, REBECCA LIN2, CHRISTENSEN-DUERDEN, CHENAEN1, SHAWCROFT, JANE3, CINGEL, DREW3
BACKGROUND: A growing body of research indicates a negative association between adolescent social
media use and body esteem. However, the factors that increase differential susceptibility to adverse outcomes
remain underexplored.
METHODS: This study employs the Differential Susceptibility framework and Ecological Momentary
Assessment (EMA) to examine individual differences in the impact of social media on body esteem and
body positivity. The sample consisted of 183 adolescents aged 12-17 who completed a series of short
questionnaires up to four times a day over a 17-day period.
RESULTS: Dynamic structural equation modelling was utilized to examine both between and within
subjects effects of being on social media on body esteem and positivity. Findings indicate that time spent
on social media alone was not associated with body esteem issues. There was substantial variability in the
impact of social media on body esteem, with 47% experiencing neutral effects, 36% experiencing negative
effects, and 17% experiencing positive effects. Similar results were found for body positivity. Additionally,
being female, exhibiting problematic media use behaviors, and having perfectionist tendencies signicantly
predicted membership in the negative body esteem and positivity groups. Additionally, adolescents reporting
an eating disorder were more likely to experience decreased body positivity.
IMPLICATIONS: Collectively, these results support taking a differential view to social media effects on
adolescents which may inform educators, parents, and policymakers as they help guide adolescents and their
use of social media. Intervention and prevention efforts aimed at identifying those most at risk for developing
body esteem problems after being on social media are essential to helping adolescents understand the
conditions that are most likely to help them grow and thrive.
COI DISCLOSURE: This project was partly funded by an Emmeline B. Wells grant at Brigham Young
University.
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#9
Parental Involvement in Childhood Physical
Activity and Screen Time in Emerging Adulthood
SURPRENANT, RACHEL1,2, BEZEAU, DAVID3, TABARES-VELASQUEZ, CAROL4,
CRISTINI, EMMA1, CABOT, ISABELLE5,6, FITZPATRICK, CAROLINE1,7
BACKGROUND: Healthy lifestyle habits, such as limiting screen time to less than three hours per day
and practicing regular physical activity, are more likely to be maintained over time if established during
childhood or adolescence (Hills et al., 2015; Jones et al., 2013). As such, families can play an important
role in fostering healthy behaviors in children (Vega-Diaz et al., 2023). Previous research has indicated
that parental strategies can signicantly inuence screen time during childhood and emerging adulthood
(Mollborn et al., 2021). However, there is limited research on the relationship between childhood physical
activity and its association with healthy lifestyle habits in emerging adulthood. The objective of the present
study is to examine the inuence of childhood parental involvement in physical activity on screen time and
physical activity in emerging adults. We expect that parental involvement in childhood physical activity will
be associated with lower levels of screen time and higher levels of physical activity in emerging adulthood.
METHODS: This study draws on a community-based convenience sample of 1,514 young adults (mean
age = 19.08, sd = 2.10; 60.8% female) recruited from 17 publicly funded colleges in Canada. Participants
retrospectively reported parental involvement in childhood physical activity. Participants also self-
reported recreational screen time (hours/day), moderate to vigorous physical activity (minutes/week), and
sociodemographic characteristics including age, gender, disability or health problems, and employment status
(employed/unemployed). Data were collected in the Fall 2021 semester and Winter of 2022.
RESULTS: Two multiple linear regressions were conducted to estimate associations between parental
involvement in childhood physical activity and health-related behaviors, controlling for sociodemographic
characteristics. Our ndings indicate that parental involvement in physical activity during childhood was
negatively associated with screen time (β = −.33; 95% CI, −.579 to −.096), and positively associated with
physical activity (β = 61.32; 95% CI, 26.474 to 96.171) in emerging adulthood.
IMPLICATIONS: Our study suggests that parental involvement in physical activity during childhood may
contribute to the development of healthy screen time habits and higher levels of physical activity by emerging
adulthood. These ndings highlight the importance of considering the family context in the development of
interventions aimed at promoting healthy lifestyle habits and their continuity into emerging adulthood.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research has been funded by the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur under
the Programme d’aide à la recherche sur l’enseignement et l’apprentissage (projet #11664). The author
acknowledges nancial support in the form of doctoral scholarships from the Canada Research Chair’s
program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, as well as from the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada under the Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral program.
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#10
“You Go Through So Many Emotions
Scrolling Through Instagram”:
How Teens Use Instagram to Regulate Their Emotions
DAVIS, KATIE1, LANDESMAN, ROTEM1, YOON, JINA1, KIM, JAEWON1,
MUNOZ LOPEZ, DANIELA E.1, MAGIS-WEINBERG, L.1, HINIKER, A.1
BACKGROUND: There is considerable public concern about social media’s role in the ongoing teen mental
health crisis. Prior research shows a link between teens’ social media use and negative well-being, including
depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Yet, there is also research showing ways that social
media can support teen well-being, such as through increased social connection and positive identity
development. Currently, we lack sufcient understanding of the proximal processes linking teens’ social
media interactions and their emotional responses. The current work addresses this gap by investigating teens’
moment-by-moment use of social media to regulate their emotions, focusing on what drives teens to regulate
their emotions on social media and with what effects on their emotional states.
METHODS: We conducted a diary study during July-August 2023 in which a group of US teens (N=57,
Mage= 16.3 years) reported daily on their experiences and emotions on Instagram for one week. We focused
on Instagram because of the platform’s popularity among teens and its prevalence in teen mental health
research. Participants submitted a total of 371 diary entries (Mresponses=6.5, sd=0.97, min=4, max=9) in
response to surveys they received on their phones at the end of each day. We analyzed participant responses
following the six stages of reexive thematic analysis outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006).
RESULTS: Our analysis identied three kinds of emotionally salient drivers that brought teens to Instagram:
to escape (e.g., boredom, school/work obligations, stress), to engage (e.g., connect with friends, pursue
interests, self-expression), and to manage the demands of the platform. Once on Instagram, teens described
two primary behaviors that impacted their emotional experiences: mindless diversions and deliberate acts.
Mindless diversions typically provided quick mood boosts, but they could easily slip into mindless scrolling
(marked by a loss of self-control) and could be thrown off course by triggering content. Deliberate acts such
as talking with friends, searching for specic information, and posting were more likely to engender self-
actualizing emotions (e.g., gratitude, condence) than the eeting emotions (e.g., amusement, silliness) that
typically resulted from mindless diversions.
IMPLICATIONS: The current study contributes empirical evidence showing how teens use Instagram
to regulate their emotions. Although teens reported many positive emotional responses, the variety,
unpredictability, and habitual nature of their experiences revealed Instagram to be an unreliable tool for
emotion regulation. We offer a model depicting the emotionally salient drivers to Instagram, behaviors while
on Instagram, and teens’ emotional responses to their Instagram experiences. We use this model to identify
pathways that support more and less adaptive forms of ER on Instagram and offer design considerations for
supporting teens’ ER processes on social media. This insight will help to inform intervention efforts and
policy and design decisions intended to support teens’ positive experiences with social media.
COI DISCLOSURE: Funding sources for this work include the Oread Fund and the CERES network.
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#11
Parents’ Phone Use Before and Aer a
21-Day Observation Period with Daily Reflection on Media Use
DESING, ELEANOR1, PIPER, DOUGLAS2, SUH, BOLIM1, LI, JENNICA1,
KERR, MARGARET1, BARR, RACHEL2, KIRKORIAN, HEATHER1
BACKGROUND: There is growing concern that parents’ smartphone use may negatively affect parent-child
interactions (McDaniel and Radesky, 2018). Simply increasing awareness of screen time with phone tracking
apps may not change behavior, even when users believe such apps can help them reduce their screen time
(Zimmerman, 2021). Some studies suggest a deeper level of reection may be more effective at changing
behavior (Boud et al., 1985). This exploratory study examines parents’ average daily phone use before versus
after a 21-day observation period using data from a larger study in which parents received daily surveys
asking them to reect on their screen time. It also tests whether average daily phone use at the start and end
of the study differed for parents who reported more frequent habitual media use.
METHODS: 104 predominantly white (76%), college-educated (88%) parents (81% mothers) of infants 12-
23 months old were drawn from a larger 21-day study. At enrollment, parents completed a questionnaire
including the frequency of habitual media use (i.e., how often they use screen media “out of habit, without
even thinking about it”) from 0 (never) to 4 (always) (Suh et al., 2024). Parents then received up to six
mini-surveys per day for 21 days reporting their emotional states and their frequency of and reasons for
media use (e.g., avoid conict, get information, relax alone, relax with others). This sample represents a
subset of participants who provided screenshots of their own screen-time through tracking apps designed
to objectively measure phone use at baseline (i.e., the week before starting the study) and at follow-up (i.e.,
during the nal week of the study).
RESULTS: Parents’ average phone use was 5.44 hours per day at baseline and 5.77 hours per day at follow-
up, a signicant increase (B = 4.54, p = .048) even after controlling for the number of surveys completed
and baseline “habitual” media use. The increase averaged 20 minutes per day. Additionally, parents reported
never (2.9%), rarely (3.9%), sometimes (29.1%), often (31.1%), or always (33.0%) using screens out of habit,
which did not predict objectively measured phone use (B = 4.47, p = .414) or change over time (B = -2.61, p
= .359)
IMPLICATIONS: Contrary to our hypothesis, daily reection and observation may increase rather than
decrease parents’ daily phone use. Prompting parents to complete surveys via text message may have led
to other phone use (e.g., checking email, social media notications) that might not have happened if not
prompted to look at their phones. This exploratory study illustrates how we might inadvertently alter parents’
media use by measuring it.
COI DISCLOSURE: This work was funded by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, P01HD109907-01). Kirkorian has ongoing grant funding
from the NSF that is unrelated to the presented work. In addition, Kirkorian has been a scientic advisor to
Children & Screens, Sesame Workshop, Common Sense Media, and the Center for Scholars and Storytellers.
Li has a part-time student assistant position at PBS Wisconsin.
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#12
What do we Know about Digital Media
Use in Swiss Preschool-Aged Children?
Results from the SWIPE Study
DIMITROVA, NEVENA1, SCHMID, JALISSE1,2, STICCA, FABIO3, UNTERNAEHRER, EVA2
BACKGROUND: Digital media is everywhere in today’s world, playing a big part in the lives of both
adults and children. The topic of child screen use is highly debated mostly because of the worries about
possible risks. But before debating about risks, it’s essential to know if and how young children use digital
media. To date, in Switzerland, there are no ofcial data about digital media use in preschool children. This
presentation will deliver ndings from the SWIPE study – the rst nation-wide study on the use of digital
media by Swiss children between 0 and 5 years.
METHODS: A sample of 3’672 parents (83% mothers) of at least one child aged 0-5 years completed an
online survey; all participants were living in Switzerland and were distributed as follows: Swiss German part
(n=2056), Swiss French part (n=1308) and Swiss Italian part (n=308). Children included 48% of girls, with
the following age distribution: 0-1 year=7% of the sample, 1-2 years=15%, 2-3 years=20%, 3-4 years=24%,
4-5 years=22% and 5-6 years=13%. The survey included a demographic section and a section about child
digital media use (screentime, content and context of screen use, etc.).
RESULTS: We found that – across all ages – the devices most used by children were smartphones (69%),
streaming (47%), and cable TV (46%). Time spent on digital activities – including listening activities –
increased with age with a mean number of minutes per day of 55min for infants, 51min for 1-year-olds,
68min for 2-year-olds, 77min for 3-year-olds, 90min for 4-year-olds, and 97min for 5-year-olds. However,
when examining only screen-based digital activities, durations were signicantly lower (17min for infants,
16min for 1-year-olds, 36min for 2-year-olds, 43min for 3-year-olds, 47min for 4-year-olds, and 52min for
5-year-olds). Across age groups, the most frequent content characteristics were content that is age appropriate
(as indicated by 99% of the participating parents), is about learning (95%), and content that draws all the
attention of the child (92%). The main parental reasons for child screen use included for the child to learn
something new (as indicated by 68% of participating parents), for the parent to have some peace and quiet
(63%) and for the child to be prepared for the digital future (41%).
IMPLICATIONS: Swiss ndings will be compared to data from other countries and discussed in terms
of meeting the recommendations for child screen use. An emphasis will be placed on examining various
aspects of child digital media use, beyond screentime.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Dimitrova reports grants from Swiss Federal Social Insurance Ofce (BSV),
Foundation Action Innocence, Haute école de travail social et de la santé Lausanne, HES-SO (HETSL), and
Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau (PHTG) during the conduct of the research to be presented.
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#13
The Role of Youth as Experts in Improving
the Eectiveness of Digital Media Literacy Interventions
DINGLE, KYRA1, REICH, STEPHANIE M.2, STARKS, ALLISON2, TALY HAREL-MARTIN3
BACKGROUND: Digital media literacy is necessary for youth mindfully navigate the digital landscape,
especially as technology is increasingly incorporated into their lives. However, the outcomes of current
programming to teach these skills are inconsistent, which may be due to the lack of standardized guidelines
or adult-driven curricula that can ill-represent youth experiences. Our project sought to instead execute
developmentally informed digital media literacy through Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR)
methods, where high school students could be leveraged as experts to teach their younger 8th-grade peers.
METHODS: We met with high school students from a Social Psychology course to identify digital media
literacy topics they viewed as highly important to discuss with 8th-graders. Interested in phone use, the
teens drafted interview protocols and collected data from other adolescents about their phone use. They also
learned about persuasive design features and used them to create daily challenges (e.g. using Do Not Disturb)
with reection activities to observe effects on their own usage. Combining these sources of data, the high
schoolers created lessons about persuasive design and designed daily challenges and reections for the 8th-
grade students. Both high school and 8th graders completed pre- and post-test surveys to assess changes
in persuasive design knowledge, and specically for the high schoolers, changes in media behaviors and
research knowledge.
RESULTS: The 8th-grade students demonstrated signicant increases in their ability to dene persuasive
design features. Their initial 10% accuracy rate increased to 83% in the post-test (z=21.87, p<.0001).
Open-ended responses shifted from naming apps (e.g. TikTok) to describing specic design features (e.g.,
notications and colors). Students were also able to better identify components of persuasive design from a
list (e.g. banners on platforms and apps). Following the lessons, 8th-graders also evaluated the high school
lessons positively, enjoying the activities and nding that they could relate well with their youth teachers.
High school students similarly reported that, on average, they knew “a lot more” about persuasive design and
considered “some more” about capitalistic aspects of social media. Since the start of the project, students also
personally began using strategies to limit phone use with 60% attempting to do something instead of using
their phone and 47% turning off notications. They also reported a greater view of themselves as a resource
for others and an interest in making a change in their school.
IMPLICATIONS: The success of our YPAR project provides insight into improving the effectiveness of
digital media literacy interventions. Specically, aligning learning with youth developmental needs and
topics of relevance. YPAR methods allow youth to have authority, which fullls their increasing need for
autonomy in adolescence while offering stronger adult-youth relationships where both parties are viewed as
equals. These features support positive youth development, which can be powerfully capitalized upon when
used in the context of digital media. As such, we rmly believe that digital media interventions must be
developmentally informed.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose.
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#14
Associations between Postsecondary Students’ Lifestyle
Habits and Positive Mental Health: A Gender-Based Analysis
SURPRENANT, RACHEL1,2, BEZEAU, DAVID3, TIRABOSCHI, GABRIEL1,4,
SANTOS, GUILHERME CORDEIRO5, GARON-CARRIER, GABRIELLE4, FITZPATRICK, CAROLINE1,6
BACKGROUND: Mental health among emerging adults has deteriorated in recent years, raising signicant
public health concerns. There is global consensus regarding the importance of understanding positive
mental health outcomes. However, few studies have focused on their determinants within emerging adult
populations. Research has shown that youth lifestyle habits, such as time spent using screens, engaging
in physical activity, and social interactions, are associated with wellbeing (Doré et al., 2016; Twenge &
Campbell, 2018). Furthermore, previous research has identied gender-based differences in the etiology and
prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in young men and women, with women having higher levels
of anxiety and depression (Kuehner, 2017). There is limited research offering a gender-based portrait of
how lifestyle habits in postsecondary students contribute to mental health in the post-pandemic context. The
objective of the present study is to estimate how the lifestyle habits of young women and men are associated
with the probability of having ourishing, languishing, or moderate mental health.
METHODS: This study draws on a community-based convenience sample of 2,165 rst-semester
postsecondary students (mean age = 17.10, sd = .54; 58.8% female) recruited from 13 publicly funded
colleges in Canada. Participants self-reported positive mental health (i.e., languishing, ourishing, and
moderate) using the Mental Health Continuum Short-Form. Additionally, participants reported lifestyle
habits including recreational screen time (hours/day); moderate to vigorous physical activity (minutes/week);
in-person social interaction (frequency/week); homework (hours/week), and sociodemographic characteristics
including age, gender, ethnicity, disability or health problem, and perceived socioeconomic status. Data were
collected in the Fall 2023 semester.
RESULTS: Multivariate multinomial regressions were conducted separately for women and men to
estimate associations between lifestyle habits and positive mental health, controlling for sociodemographic
characteristics. For women, each additional hour of daily weekend screen time and rarely engaging in in-
person socializing reduced the odds of experiencing ourishing, rather than moderate mental health, by 11%
and 44%, respectively (odds ratio [OR] = .89, 95% CI, .83–.95; OR = .56, 95% CI, .35–.90). Women who
never and rarely engaged in in-person social interaction were 3.8 and 2.14 times more likely to experience
languishing mental health, respectively (OR = 3.80, 95% CI, 1.45–9.96; OR = 2.14, 95% CI, 1.16–3.96). For
men, more minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity and each additional hour of homework
were associated with greater odds of experiencing ourishing mental health (OR = 1.00, 95% CI, 1.00–1.00;
OR = 1.03, 95% CI, 1.00–1.05).
IMPLICATIONS: The present study sheds light on modiable factors that may contribute to mental health
promotion among postsecondary students. These factors include low screen time, engaging in moderate to
vigorous-intensity physical activity, in-person socializing, and investing in one’s studies.
COI DISCLOSURE: The author acknowledges nancial support in the form of doctoral scholarships from
the Canada Research Chair’s program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, as well as
from the Fonds de recherche du Québec and the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, as part of the
Program Actions concertées du Fonds de recherche du Québec, Société et culture.
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#15
Meditation in Virtual Reality:
The Future of Wellness Spaces for Adolescents
GAETZ, CYNTHIE1, MACDOWELL, PAULA1, JAUNZEMS FERNUK, JUDY1
BACKGROUND: Virtual Reality (VR) meditation is an emerging tool for facilitating mental well-being
and mindfulness, offering immersive and distraction-free environments. Adolescents face increasing
mental health challenges, particularly post-pandemic, which adversely affect their ability to concentrate
and learn effectively. While traditional mindfulness practices have proven successful for many adults, their
applicability for adolescents is often limited by issues of accessibility and disengagement. This study was
designed to understand how adolescents perceive their experiences with VR meditation. How does VR
meditation inuence adolescents’ ability to focus their attention?
METHODS: The study employed non-probability sampling to recruit 11 participants (ages 12 to 17, mixed
gender). The small, purposefully selected sample was appropriate for investigating complex phenomena like
focusing attention, enabling the collection of rich, descriptive data. Participants engaged in ve traditional
group mediations and ve guided meditations using the Maloka VR gamied environment. Data collection
methods included: 1) pre- and post-surveys to measure changes in focus; 2) semi-structured interviews to
explore participants’ experiences and perspectives; and 3) behavioural observations during meditation
sessions and the follow-up focus activities. Data were analyzed using narrative analysis techniques and
triangulated using NVivo software to ensure trustworthiness and qualitative rigour.
RESULTS: Quantitative results revealed enhanced focus ratings post-VR meditation. On average,
participants rated their focus at 63% pre-VR meditation, compared to 80% post-VR meditation—reecting
a 17% increase. Similarly, participants engaging in the traditional meditation sessions showed a pre- to
post-rating increase from 54% to 77%, representing a 23% improvement. Participants with higher initial
distractibility scores experienced the most signicant gains in focus. Most of the participants (90%) reported
that VR meditation helped them focus better during the study; the remaining 10% reported no signicant
struggles with focus. In the nal interviews, all participants (100%) agreed that VR meditation was more
engaging than traditional methods, and they preferred VR meditation for future practice. Qualitative analysis
identied four key themes: attention, distractibility, engagement, and relaxation. Participants consistently
reported heightened focus and reduced distractibility following VR meditation sessions. The immersive
nature of VR minimized external interruptions, enhancing concentration on meditation and subsequent
tasks. Participant engagement was stimulated by Maloka’s gamication elements, including avatars,
achievement rewards, and enchanting audio and visuals. Most participants noted increased calmness and
relaxation after the VR meditations, sharing stories of how these feelings extended into their daily routines at
home and school.
IMPLICATIONS: This study highlights the possibilities and limitations of VR meditation as an engaging and
accessible tool for supporting adolescents’ mental health and attention-related challenges. VR meditation can
serve as a scalable intervention for educators and mental health practitioners to promote focus, relaxation,
and mindfulness in adolescents, leading the way for its integration into wellness and educational programs
(Gaetz, 2024).
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare no conicts of interest.
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#16
Individual Factors Associated With High-Risk
Digital Media Use Among Youth In Psychiatric Crisis
GANSNER, M.1, NIKAM, P., WANG, W., KNYCH, S.
BACKGROUND: Multiple forms of high-risk digital media use have been identied in the pediatric
population, including Internet dependency, cyberbullying, and visualization of suicide-related online content.
However, limited data exist to help identify those youth more likely to engage in specic high-risk digital
behaviors. This study leverages the electronic medical record system of a large pediatric hospital with a
robust psychiatric consultation service to:
1) Estimate prevalence of specic types of high-risk digital media use among youth experiencing psychiatric
crises
2) Determine demographic and psychiatric factors associated with specic types of high-risk digital media
use
We expected to nd a positive correlation between patient age and high-risk digital media use, as many
behaviors are social media-driven. We also hypothesized that risky digital media use would occur more
often in youth with disorders featuring impaired frustration tolerance and executive dysfunction (e.g. ADHD,
IED).
METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed examining psychiatric consultation notes from all
youth (6-17 y.o) who presented to the hospital in psychiatric crisis in 2021 or 2022. Collected demographic
information included age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Psychiatric diagnoses were recorded from the initial
psychiatric consultation note. Each encounter was reviewed for reports of problematic digital media use,
coded under ve categories: access-related (e.g. aggression after smartphone removal), online conict (e.g.
cyberbullying), posting/viewing high-risk online content, online sexual behaviors (e.g. sexting) and excessive
device/Internet use. These categories were based on ndings from smaller studies on digital media use
precipitating pediatric psychiatric hospitalizations. Relationships between variables of interest and types of
high-risk digital media use were assessed using linear and logistic regression models. Correction for multiple
comparisons was performed using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure (FDR: 0.05).
RESULTS: There were 3,710 encounters that met inclusion criteria, representing 2889 unique patients
(average age: 13.5). Almost one-fth of reviewed encounters (n = 711, 19.2%) featured high-risk digital
media/device use. Posting/viewing high-risk online content was the most frequently cited issue (48.8%).
Patients who presented with digital media-related crises were slightly older in average age (13.7 vs. 13.5) and
signicantly more likely to have mood disorder diagnoses (OR: 1.60, p<0.001). Compared to males, females
were signicantly less likely to present with crises related to digital media access (OR: 0.66, p=0.003) and
device/digital media use impairing daily functioning (OR: 0.39, p=0.001), but more likely to have encounters
associated with online sexual behaviors/relationships (OR: 2.96, p=0.001).
IMPLICATIONS: Our ndings underscore growing scientic recognition that “digital media use” is not
a monolith, and that digital media-associated risks are not equivalent across all youth. U.S. adolescent
mental health remains poor, making targeted clinical screening for high-risk behavior all the more critical.
These results can guide both development of formal screeners to identify problematic digital media use and
interventions to prevent behaviors from occurring.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was funded K23 NIDA Grant#: 1K23DA055916-01A1(PI: Gansner).
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#17
Maternal Screen use Habits and Patterns of Breastfeeding:
A Prospective Longitudinal Study Using a
Canadian Representative Population-Based Cohort
GARON-CARRIER, GABRIELLE1, TIRABOSCHI, GABRIEL ARANTES1,2,
KOSAK, LAURIE-ANNE1, BERNARD, JONATHAN Y.3, GILBERT, NICOLAS1,
LEROUX-MAURAIS, DAPHNÉE1, VÉZINA, FLAVIE1, FITZPATRICK, CAROLINE2,4, PAGANI, LINDA5
BACKGROUND: Most mothers use screen technology during parenting activities. However, there is little
compelling evidence on whether maternal technology habits are a risk factor for choices about breastfeeding.
We prospectively estimate how maternal daily screen use and technoference contributes to guideline
adherence for initiating and continuing breastfeeding.
METHODS: This study draws on data from a representative birth cohort of infants born in 2020-2021 of
mothers residing in the province of Quebec, Canada. A sample of 4,414 families with newborns (50.6%
girls) participated in the rst wave of data collection when children were 5-month-old and were followed
longitudinally at the age of 17 months. Mothers reported their breastfeeding practices at both waves of
data collection and were categorized as follows: 1) non-breastfeeding (n=590, 13.4%), 2) non-exclusive
breastfeeding for less than 6 months (n=1454, 32.9%), 3) non-exclusive breastfeeding for more than 6 months
(n=1113, 25.2%), 4) exclusive breastfeeding for more than 6 months (n=1257, 28.5%). At the 5-month
interview, mothers reported daily time spent on screen-based devices (i.e., television, tablet, smartphone,
computer, video gaming) outside of work, and their levels of technoference (4 items, α= 0.91) (McDaniel,
2021). Multivariate multinomial regression models were performed to estimate the associations between
daily screen use and technoference with patterns of breastfeeding, controlling for multiple child-, maternal-,
and family-wide covariates collected at 5 months.
RESULTS: Similar proportions of boys and girls were breastfed. In comparison to mothers exclusively
breastfeeding for more than 6 months, each additional hour of daily screen use increased the odds of non-
breastfeeding by 12% (OR= 1.12, 95% CI [1.02–1.22]) and of non-exclusively breastfeeding for the rst 6
months or less by 9% (OR= 1.00 [1.03–1.15]). In contrast, an increase in technoference reduced the likelihood
of non-breastfeeding by 33% (OR=0.67 [0.57–0.80]) and of non-exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months or
less by 20% (OR=0.80 [0.73–0.88]). No difference was found between mothers non-exclusively vs exclusively
breastfeeding for more than 6 months.
IMPLICATIONS: Mothers who breastfed for more than 6 months, as per the World Health Organization
guidelines, reported more interactive interference with technology despite lower daily screen use. As
technology advances rapidly, breastfeeding recommendations must clearly express that this activity require
undivided attention regardless of its longevity.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare that there is no conict of interest. This study received approval
from the ethics review boards of the Université de Sherbrooke, and all participants signed a written
informed consent before completing the survey.
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#18
The SMaRT Mom Intervention –
Partial Abstinence Alters Neural Processing in Parietal Regions
of Breastfeeding Mothers with Excessive Smartphone Use
to Smartphone Cues – Initial Results of an ERP Study
GRAFF NOMKIN, LILACH1, PELED-AVRON, LEEHE1,2, GORDON, ILANIT1,2,3
BACKGROUND: Smartphone use can draw maternal attention away from their infants, potentially affecting
infant development. Excessive smartphone use is considered addictive and may undermine the reward value
of infant cues, disrupt parenting-related neural and behavioral processes, decrease maternal responsiveness,
and increase stress. Excessive smartphone use may hinder mothers from disengaging during infant
interactions, including breastfeeding. Given the critical role of responsive parenting and the “addictive”
characteristics of smartphone use, it is essential to explore the biobehavioral mechanisms underlying
changes in maternal excessive smartphone behavior. This study evaluates the impact of the SMaRT Mom
intervention, which eliminates smartphone use during breastfeeding, on maternal neural activity using
electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs). Specically, we examined the late
positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential indicative of emotional and attentional engagement, to
assess the salience of smartphone cues before and after the intervention.
METHODS: Twenty healthy breastfeeding mothers with a mean age of 33.6 years (SD = 3.98) with infants
aged 3-6 months (M = 4.77, SD = 0.97) scoring above the threshold of 31 points on the Smartphone
Addiction Scale (SAS) participated in this ongoing randomized study, and were assigned to an intervention
or control group. The intervention group was instructed to refrain from smartphone use during breastfeeding
for one week, receiving remote support twice weekly. Both groups underwent EEG recording during a
smartphone cue-reactivity task featuring smartphone-on, smartphone-off, and neutral images. Here we
present preliminary ndings from 19 mothers (experimental n=8, control n=11) with complete data sets.
RESULTS: A signicant group × time interaction (F = 13.12, p = 0.008, partial η² = 0.65) at the P4 electrode
(right parietal) revealed contrasting patterns: decreased LPP amplitude in the experimental group versus
increased amplitude in controls. This P4 effect was observed across all stimulus types with no main effect
of stimulus type. The experimental group showed enhanced baseline responses specically to smartphone-
on cues at the P3 electrode (left parietal; F = 6.49, p = 0.02), but these differences normalized following
intervention. Both groups reduced screen time by approximately 20 minutes per day.
IMPLICATIONS: These preliminary ndings demonstrate intriguing hemispheric differences in response
to the SMaRT Mom intervention, with left parietal baseline differences to smartphone-on cues normalizing
while right parietal regions showed intervention-specic changes in emotional/motivational processing. This
pattern suggests that targeted restriction of smartphone use during specic caregiving activities can alter
neural processing of smartphone-related stimuli. For breastfeeding mothers with frequent smartphone use,
these results provide initial neurophysiological evidence for the efcacy of context-specic use restriction,
adding to our understanding of how targeted interventions might protect parent-infant interactions and well-
being.
COI DISCLOSURE: The presenting author, Ms. Lilach Graff Nomkin, (PhD candidate) has received the
Bar-Ilan university’ Presidential scholarship for outstanding students. Additionally, Prof. Ilanit Gordon, has
received research funding from Grant 434/2021 from the Israel Science Foundation, as well as the European
Research Council(ERC)Consolidator Grant. The authors have no conicts of interest to disclose.
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#19
Smartphone Use And Mental Health Outcomes
Among Children And Adolescents:
Preliminary Results From The Smartkids Quebec Study
ZEROUAL, BRAHIM1, CRISTINI, EMMA2, PEREIRA DA SILVA, MICHAEL3,
CARBONNEAU, NOÉMIE1, TOUCHETTE, EVELYNE1, MATHIEU, MARIE-EVE4,
FITZPATRICK, CAROLINE2, GUIMARAES, ROSEANE DE FATIMA1
BACKGROUND: Depression, anxiety, and stress are increasingly common among youth and have risen over
the last decade. During this period, smartphone usage has become ubiquitous. While smartphones can help
enhance social interactions and provide emotional support when needed, excessive use can lead to signicant
negative repercussions. The aim was to assess the association between problematic smartphone use and
symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress among children and adolescents from public schools in Quebec,
Canada.
METHODS: Preliminary data from the SMARTKids observational cross-sectional study was used. Students
aged 10–18-year-old from public schools in Quebec (Canada) were invited to self-report their smartphone use
and their symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (mental health outcomes) via an online questionnaire.
The Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version – SAS-SV (Cronbach’s α=0.90) and the Depression Anxiety
Stress Scales Youth Version – DASS-21 (Cronbach’s α=0.95) were used. A linear regression was conducted
in SPSS-28 to assess the associations between variables adjusting for sex, age, parents’ education level, body
mass index z-score (BMI-z).
RESULTS:
The mean age of the 215 participants was 12.5±2.2 years, and 135 (63%) were girls. Most participants had
a normal BMI-z (64.2%). The prevalence of self-reported problematic smartphone use was 22.2% overall,
and higher in females (23.9% vs. 19.4%). Mean scores for subscales mental health symptoms were 13±5 for
depression, 11±4 for anxiety, and 13±5 for stress (each of them out of 21). There was a positive association
between the smartphone use scores and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (total score) in the
unadjusted analysis (^β = 0.44 [95% CI: 0.27 to 0.95], p < 0.01), as well as after adjustment (^β = 0.34 [95%
CI: 0.12 to 0.82], p < 0.01). Moreover, when we ran the subscales scores separately, there was a positive
association between the smartphone use scores and symptoms of depression in the unadjusted analysis (^β
= 0.49 [95% CI: 0.12 to 0.35], p < 0.01); similar ndings were exhibited in the adjusted analysis (^β =0.38
[95% CI: 0.06 to 0.31], p < 0.01) analyses. Similar for stress in unadjusted (^β =0.40 [95% CI: 0.08 to 0.35],
p < 0.01) and after adjustment (^β =0.33 [95% CI: 0.04 to 0.32], p = 0.01), but no signicant association was
identied with anxiety separate scores after adjustment. The residual analyses showed that the model is
likely a good t for the data.
IMPLICATIONS: A higher score of problematic smartphone use was related to increased depression but not
to anxiety and stress symptoms. These ndings underscore the potential impact of problematic smartphone
use on young people’s mental health. Clinical educational interventions need to be developed. It is essential
to promote awareness campaigns in schools, families, and communities to educate young people about the
risks associated with problematic smartphone use and help them achieve a balanced and conscious use.
COI DISCLOSURE: Funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada.
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#20
Entertainment Media’s Influence
on Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors:
A Nationwide Text Survey of Youth in the United States
HARNESS, JANE, DO1, HONG, VICTOR, MD1, MASCARENA, LAILA2, WOLFF, CLARA2,
WASELEWSKI, MARIKA, MPH2, CHANG, TAMMY, MD, MPH2
BACKGROUND: Youth spend the largest fraction of their total screen time watching shows and movies,
more than time spent on social media or videogames. Stories of people nding non-suicide alternatives and
overcoming crisis can be suicide protective, while portrayal of suicide attempts can be suicide promoting.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24 and media inuences have been shown
to contribute at the population level. There is a unique opportunity to use entertainment media for
suicide prevention, but these initiatives should be informed by the perspectives of youth. Our aim was
to characterize youth’s thoughts and experiences related to entertainment media’s inuence on suicidal
thoughts/behaviors to inform interventions.
METHODS: In April 2023, open-ended questions about entertainment media’s inuence on mental health
and suicidal thoughts/behaviors were elded to a nationwide sample of 14-24 year old’s as a part of an
ongoing text-based survey cohort called MyVoice. The recruitment uses targeted online advertisements based
on national population benchmarks. Demographic information was collected upon enrollment. Questions
included: Are there any movies/shows that you think help prevent suicidal thoughts or behaviors for viewers?
If yes, which movie/shows and why? And are there any movies/shows that you think promote suicidal
thoughts or behaviors? If yes, which movie/shows and why? Two investigators analyzed the qualitative data
using content analysis.
RESULTS: Questions were sent to 802 youth and 641 responded to at least one question (RR= 79.9%).
Regarding entertainment media’s inuence on suicidal thoughts/behaviors, youth reported that preventative
factors include content that is comforting, distracting, hopeful, destigmatizing, connecting and content that
shows help-seeking, inclusive positive representation, and bereavement of decedents, sharing insights such
as: “Yes, I think that any show where viewers feel included, represented, seen, heard, and valued, will help
them feel less lonely and more condent and that will make them less likely to be suicidal” and “…Watching
the show… encouraged me to have a conversation with friends and a healthcare provider.” Youth reported
that suicide promoting factors include content that glamorizes suicide/mental illness, violence, depictions
of suicide or self-harm, revenge narratives, content that normalizes suicide, fosters a negative world view,
lacks hope, and content that prompts unfair comparisons, sharing: “…it made the conversations about mental
health harder for fear of more mockery…”
IMPLICATIONS: Our ndings describe the types of content that may confer positive or negative inuence
for viewer suicidal thoughts/behaviors. Youth thoughts and opinions about how shows/movies can be suicide
preventative can inform large-scale media-based suicide prevention efforts, especially since youth spend a
large fraction of their days streaming shows and movies.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was funded by: AFSP Young Investigator Grant, Ouida Scholar Award
University of Michigan, Research Scouts University of Michigan.
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#21
Empowering Teen Leaders in Digital Civics:
Co-Designing and Piloting a Hybrid Program
Focused on Digital Rights and Advocacy
IVANIR, DANIELLA1,HANEBUTT, RACHEL2,3
BACKGROUND: Despite the pervasive role of technology in adolescents’ lives, structured programs that
empower teens to engage with digital rights and advocate for responsible technology remain scarce. This
gap is particularly pressing as teens face challenges related to digital wellness, civic engagement, and
ethical technology use. In collaboration with #HalfTheStory, this community-engaged research initiative
co-designed and piloted the Digital Civics Academy, a novel hybrid program aimed at cultivating digital
advocacy skills, civic engagement, and improved relationships with technology among diverse teen leaders.
METHODS: The Digital Civics Academy was co-designed with 25 teen advisors and piloted with a cohort of
49 participants aged 15-21 (n=49 pre, n=38 post). The program combined virtual and in-person components
over ve days, with workshops, expert talks, and hands-on design activities. Mixed-method surveys assessed
teens’ digital wellness, knowledge and attitudes towards digital rights, and digital civics readiness, using
an adapted civic participation readiness scale. A 2x2 factorial ANOVA analyzed pre- and post-program
readiness scores, considering time (pre- vs. post-program) and program format (virtual vs. in-person).
Qualitative feedback was gathered through surveys and visualized to provide deeper insights.
RESULTS: Preliminary ndings suggest the Digital Civics Academy was highly feasible, engaging, and
impactful. Participants represented diverse demographics, including BIPOC (39%), LGBTQIA+ (16%),
immigrants (50%), and low-income teens (26%). The program achieved an average virtual participation rate
of 82% and focused on themes such as digital advocacy, storytelling, mobilization, and career pathways
in the responsible tech movement. Post-program, teens reported a 15% increase in digital civic readiness
scores, with 95% indicating improved relationships with technology. Reports of poor or fair digital wellbeing
decreased signicantly from 32.6% (pre-program) to 10.5% (post-program). Additionally, all participants
indicated they would recommend the program to peers. Qualitative feedback highlighted teens’ enhanced
understanding of digital rights, responsible technology practices, and empowerment to advocate for systemic
change.
IMPLICATIONS: The success of the Digital Civics Academy underscores the potential of hybrid, co-
designed interventions to foster digital wellness and empower teens as leaders in the responsible technology
movement. By integrating participatory design and civic engagement principles, this program demonstrated
its scalability and relevance across diverse teen populations. Future research will explore long-term
outcomes, including sustained behavioral changes, continued engagement in digital advocacy, and career
trajectories in the tech ethics space. These ndings advocate for broader investment in youth-centered
initiatives to build a more responsible and inclusive digital ecosystem.
COI DISCLOSURE: The rst author serves as Youth Engagement and Advocacy Manager for
#HalfTheStory. The second author provides organizational consulting for #HalfTheStory and serves on
the Scientic Advisory Board for Only7Seconds, both nonprots in the adolescent mental health and digital
wellness space.
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#22
Overthinking Over Screens:
Girls Ruminate More Aer Negative Social Media
Interactions with Peers Compared to In-Person Interactions
KILIC, ZELAL1, MCKONE, KIRSTEN M.P.1, STOUT, CLAIRE D.1, GRAD-FREILICH, MELANIE J1,
LADOUCEUR, CECILE D.1, CHOUKAS-BRADLEY, SOPHIA1, SILK, JENNIFER S.1
BACKGROUND: With the rise and ubiquity of social media, the context for peer interactions has changed
drastically for adolescents, yet little is known about how digital peer interactions compare to in-person
interactions in their impact on adolescents’ emotional experiences. Adolescents employ various emotion
regulation strategies to navigate the complexities of peer interactions, with varying strategy adaptiveness
and efcacy. This study delves into the prevalence of emotion regulation strategies following daily negative
peer interactions on social media, exploring to what extent context (social media or in-person) inuences the
selection of emotion regulation strategies.
METHODS: Over 16 days, 106 U.S. adolescent girls, aged 11-13 (half at high-risk for developing an affective
disorder), participated in ecological momentary assessments, detailing their worst recent peer interactions,
the context (social media or in-person) of these interactions, the subsequent emotion regulation strategies
employed, and the intensity of their negative affect.
RESULTS: Multilevel models revealed that teens were more prone to rumination after negative peer
interactions on social media than in-person (OR = 2.08, p = 0.031), after adjusting for the overall prevalence
of social media and in-person interactions. No other signicant differences emerged in emotion regulation
strategy selection based on the context of the interaction.
IMPLICATIONS: Findings highlight that although adolescents may adapt their emotion regulation strategy
selection to suit the demands of specic interpersonal situations across contexts, negative peer interactions
on social media may lead to more rumination, potentially contributing to the link between social media
use and depression. However, we also found that adolescents use avoidance, as well as the other emotion
regulation strategies we explored, similarly across in-person and social media contexts. This means that
for most strategies, adolescents do not differ in their likelihood of using them across contexts. Therefore, it
may be especially important to focus on developing interventions to reduce rumination in the social media
context. We will further discuss how unique features of social media might elicit rumination, such as social
media’s lack of physical social cues and its permanent, public, and asynchronous nature.
COI DISCLOSURE: There are no COIs related to this work.
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#23
Uncovering Loneliness and a Need for Community in Young People
on Reddit Who Identify as Having Dissociative Identity Disorder
KRUGLINSKI, SUSAN1
BACKGROUND: Within the last decade, there has been a growing online community of young people,
an age group dened as 15 to 24 years old, identifying as having dissociative identity disorder (DID), a
diagnosis formerly known as multiple personality disorder. It has been proposed that the reason behind
the explosive growth of this rare disorder is that a segment of this population may be malingering
or experiencing an inauthentic version of the disorder, known as imitated DID, but little is known to
suggest possible motivations or developmental origins. My research questions are: What are the shared
characteristics, experiences, sentiments, and expressions of young people in a DID community on Reddit?
And are their commonalities that may suggest a motivation to join this community as a person experiencing
imitated DID? My hypothesis is that there are common features within the population of those identifying as
having DID that foster rapid growth in the population within social media spaces.
METHODS: This was a descriptive observational study using thematic analysis. For this mixed methods
study, ~5000 posts on Reddit from the DID community were analyzed for thematic content and population
characteristics. Posts from adolescent, teen, and emerging adults (N = 50) were archived and analyzed,
framed in the context of the psychological development of this age group. Themes relevant to the research
questions were derived from the data and interpreted in the context of theory.
RESULTS: Two themes that were derived as common expressions of the cohort, considered together,
may provide possible motivation for joining this community for participants who may be experiencing or
contriving imitated DID. These were loneliness and isolation and camaraderie with alters (i.e., alternate
identities). Within Reddit user histories, 38% of participants reported loneliness and isolation, 48% reported
having affective disorders, and 42% claimed to have autism. Taken together, expressions of loneliness,
affective disorders, and autism suggest socializing issues among this cohort. Additionally, a sense of
community stemming from the features of the disorder (the system of alters) was expressed, with 22%
reporting that their alters brought them comfort and camaraderie. This suggests that for a segment of this
population, identication with DID may alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation and compensate for
socializing issues, although further investigation is needed.
IMPLICATIONS: That online social contagion has been demonstrated to be an optimal vector for the spread
of both real and imitated psychopathology for a subset of young people should arouse concern and curiosity
so that we many minimize this trend. Analyzing these communities for their characteristics, expressions,
sentiments, and culture should expand our understanding of the rapidly evolving developmental issues of
today’s young people.
COI DISCLOSURE: There is no conict of interest, and this study was not funded.
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#24
How Teens Say Social Media Impacts Their Pressures and Burnout
LENHART, AMANDA1, LARA, EDUARDO ALBERTO2,
KONRATH, SARA3, MANN, SUPREET4, BECK TENCH2, WEINSTEIN, EMILY2
BACKGROUND: Social media and smartphones are widely considered as key contributors to adolescent
mental health trends (APA, 2024; Murthy, 2024). Yet research shows that youth are having different
experiences with social media, that are not solely negative, and that teens’ well being is inuenced by factors
in their online and ofine lives (Weinstein, Davis, & James, 2024; Coyne et al., 2022; Moreno et al., 2022).
In a national study of U.S. teens, we investigated the prevalence of different pressures and how teens say
social technologies contribute to and/or alleviate those pressures, and their connection to burnout.
METHODS: We commissioned SSRS to conduct a nationally representative survey with 1,545 teens aged
13-17 in the United States in Oct-Nov 2023. We surveyed teens about their experiences with six types of
pressure that were identied in prior focus groups about digital well-being: game plan (future planning),
achievement (current), appearance, social life, friendship, and activism. We also assessed burnout using a
validated single-item measure. Data were weighted to represent residential US teenagers.
RESULTS: We found that 81% of teens reported one or more of the six pressures, with game plan (56%),
achievement (53%), and appearance (51%) being most prevalent. We found complex relationships between
social media usage patterns and adolescent experiences of pressure and burnout. Notably, adolescents
reported multiple contributors to pressures, including school adults, parents, and social media; these
sometimes also alleviated pressures or had no effect. For example, adolescents report that parents and family
members can reduce pressures around appearance (28.9%) or social life (27.2%), and social media can at least
sometimes reduce pressures around friendship (51%), achievement (45%), and game plan (44%). Yet, overall,
frequent use of social media was associated with higher pressures (r=.31, p<0.001) and burnout (r=.10,
p<.001). However, when examining specic apps, YouTube, Facebook, and social gaming frequency were
not signicantly related to burnout, p>.05. We note that results are cross-sectional, so we cannot determine
whether social media usage causes increased pressures and burnout, whether teens who are facing more
pressures and burnout are likely to use social media as a result, or some other explanation.
IMPLICATIONS: Researchers are already urging attention to person-specic differences related to social
media experiences (e.g., Beyens et al., 2024). These ndings suggest that while social media use intensity
generally correlates with increased pressures and burnout symptoms, the relationships have unclear causal
directions, and are platform-specic and complex, with different platforms amplifying or reducing teen’s
respective pressures.
COI DISCLOSURE: The Center for Digital Thriving receives research funding from the Susan Crown
Exchange, and Pivotal Ventures. The authors also disclose that they have an ongoing relationship with
Common Sense Media and collaborated in the development of this research project. Common Sense Media
received support from Jennifer Caldwell and John H.N. Fisher for this work. Amanda Lenhart is a paid
Research Advisor to Surgo Health on their Youth Mental Health Tracker research study and serves on the
Technical Expert Panel for the AAP’s Center for Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.
Eduardo Alberto Lara is a paid research advisor for Mental Health America. Sara Konrath is a paid
consultant at Tinder and Giving Compass and has grants unrelated to this topic. Emily Weinstein is also a
co-founder of Tech Without Stress, receives book royalties from MIT Press, and is a member of an academic
advisory board for Google.
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#25
Executive Functions and Language Development
of Young Children and Caregivers’ Screen Devices:
A Study Based on the Ecological Systems Theory
Focusing on Caregivers’ Screen Device Usage and Attitude
LIN, HUI-LI1
BACKGROUND: In recent years, the widespread integration of electronic devices into our daily lives has
raised concerns about their impact on child development, particularly regarding excessive screen time. This
research, grounded in ecological systems theory, focuses on the microsystem and mesosystem, exploring
how caregivers’ use and attitudes toward technological products inuence young children. The primary aim
of this study is to develop a comprehensive and multidimensional measurement tool to assess caregivers’
use of technological products and their attitudes toward these devices, utilizing the newly established
measurement tool to understand how caregivers’ screen device use and attitudes impact young children’s
executive function and language development over time.
METHODS: Caregivers of children 4 to 5 years of age have been recruited to complete a comprehensive
multi-dimension measuring tool including caregiver screen time and purposes, caregiver problematic screen
use, screen media related parenting interference, caregiver attitude of screen media, caregiver nurture
practices of screen media, caregivers’ executive functions or EF, and caregiver parenting efcacy. Their
young children’s EF (measured with the Taiwanese Traditional-Chinese Childhood Executive Functioning
Inventory (TC-CHEXI) (Tsai et al., 2020), higher TC-CHEXI representing worse EF), and language
development have been collected via caregiver reports. Among the variables, the data on caregiver screen
time and purposes have been collected on a daily basis two times per day over a few days by reminding the
participants via emails or virtual texts. Data on the other variables were collected all at once.
RESULTS: Up to today, 45 caregivers (three fathers and 42 mothers of children 48 to 70 months old; M
58.38 months; S.D. 6.80 months) have participated. The primary ndings supported that (1) caregivers’ daily
screen time for social/entertaining purposes during weekdays negatively impacted children’s EF, especially
on behavioral self-regulation (r = .38); (2) caregivers’ daily screen time for social/entertaining purposes
during weekends negatively impacted children’s EF (r = .46), and also negatively impacted children’s
overall language development (r = -.45), especially on reading and writing emergent capabilities (r = -.49);
(3) caregievrs’ problematic screen usage negatively impacted children’s EF, especially on planning (r =
.41) and also negatively impacted children’s overall language development (r = -.30), especially on reading
and writing emergent capabilities (r = -.38), and (4) caretaker nurture practices of screen media negatively
impacted children’s EF, especially on planning (r = .35) and behavioral regulation (r = .44). All the r’s were
signicant at .05 level.
IMPLICATIONS: The theoretical insights derived from this study have the potential to provide practical
guidelines for caregivers in managing their own screen time. Ultimately, the research seeks to contribute
valuable knowledge to inform parenting practices in the digital age, fostering a balanced and supportive
environment for the healthy development of young children.
COI DISCLOSURE: This project is funded by the National Science and Technology Council, R.O.C., without
any conicts of interest.
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#26
Adolescent and Parent Perceptions of Electronic Media Use in China:
Factor Structure and Patterns of Use
Measured by the Media Activity Form (MAF)
LIU, JIANGHONG1, LIU, XIAOXUAN (PRISCILLA)1, MCDONALD, CATHERINE C1, IVANOVA, MASHA Y2
BACKGROUND: Electronic media (EM) is integral to adolescents’ daily life globally, inuencing their
physical and mental well-being. In China, sociocultural factors, such as hierarchical family dynamics and
educational pressures may contributes to unique pattern of adolescents’ EM usage. Perceptions from both
adolescents and parents are essential to understanding EM usage, but structured assessment with dual-
informant perspective is lacking. The Media Activity Form (MAF) developed by Dr. Achenbach and team
is a novel instrument for dual-informant evaluation of EM usage and its perceived impacts. Currently, its
use has been reported only by the Portugal group within the International MAF Consortium, highlighting
the need for MAF’s application in other cultural contexts. Research Questions/Objectives: What are the
psychometric properties of the MAF in a Chinese context, and how do adolescents and parents perceive
and report EM use, including its patterns and impacts? To answer this, the study aims to (1) evaluate the
psychometric properties of the MAF in a Chinese context by conducting exploratory and conrmatory factor
analyses, focusing on its reliability and factor structure across adolescent and parent reports, and (2) examine
patterns, perceptions, and perceived impacts of EM use, emphasizing discrepancies and concordance
between adolescent and parent perspectives.
METHODS: Data were collected from 404 parent-adolescent dyads in Nanjing and Jintan, Jiangsu Province,
China, using the translated MAF. 276 dyads with complete responses were included in the analysis. The
MAF includes 26 items: 13 measuring time spent on various media activities and 13 assessing perceived
impact of EM use. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Conrmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were
conducted to determine factor structure and MAF’s reliability. Descriptive statistics, paired Wilcoxon tests,
paired t-tests, and chi-square tests were performed to compare adolescents and parent reports, assess gender
differences, and evaluate concordance between perceptions.
RESULTS: Adolescents reported signicantly higher weekly total screen time than their parents, with girls
averaging 49.51± 67.96 hours (Q1 = 8.83, Q3 = 65.10) and boys 38.53±44.88 hours (Q1 = 9.17, Q3 = 54.17).
Factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure for adolescent perceptions (perceived positive impacts,
negative impacts, and media displacement) and a two-factor structure for parent perceptions (positive and
negative impacts, both demonstrating strong internal consistency (adolescents: α = 0.71–0.87; parents: α =
0.88–0.94). Furthermore, parents of adolescent boys were more likely to perceive EM activities as harmful
compared to parents of girls.
IMPLICATIONS: The ndings underscore signicant discrepancies between adolescent and parent
perceptions of EM use, highlighting the need for family-based, gender-sensitive interventions to promote
healthy media habits. The MAF demonstrated robust psychometric properties in the Chinese context,
supporting its broader cross-cultural application. Findings emphasize parental guidance, where strengthened
family communication and mutual understanding are critical. Implications include developing targeted
interventions, guiding cross-cultural media research, and shaping policies to empower parents in managing
youth media use.
COI DISCLOSURE: This project in part was supported by NIH/NIEHS (R01-ES018858; K02-ES019878;
K01-ES015877) and the NIH/NICHD (R01-HD087485) and the Ofce of Nursing Research at the University
of Pennsylvania. The authors have no COI to disclose.
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#27
Development and Evaluation of an Intervention
Targeting Parents of Adolescents At-Risk for Gaming Disorder
LO, CAMILLA K.M.1
BACKGROUND: An increasing number of psychosocial interventions for gaming disorder (GD), particularly
those targeting adolescents, have been developed. Relevant research evidence has been summarized and
evaluated through meta-analytic and systematic reviews (e.g., King et al., 2017; Stevens et al., 2019; Zajac et
al., 2017), concluding that the interventions appear to have positive impacts in terms of reducing the severity
of GD and symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, most of the interventions focus on the individuals
with/at-risk for the disorder, which may potentially overlook the ways in which people around them may be
affected by or contribute to the condition.
METHODS: This study used a non-randomized controlled design to pilot evaluate a 4-session,
mentalization-informed motivational interviewing group intervention for parents of adolescents at risk
for GD. A total of 38 Chinese parents (n = 23 in the intervention group; n = 15 in the control group) who
reported distress resulting from their children’s excessive gaming in Hong Kong participated in the study.
Participants in the intervention group participated in the parent group intervention, whereas the control did
not receive any intervention. A set of self-reported measurements were used to evaluate the impacts of the
intervention at baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 4). The primary outcome was parental mental
health symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress); and the secondary outcomes include parental reective
functioning, emotional regulation, gaming-related parent-child conicts, and child’s GD symptoms. Two
participants (8.70%) in the intervention group dropped out. A total of 12 participants from the intervention
group were randomly selected and interviewed about their perceived usefulness of the intervention.
RESULTS: The mean age was 45.17 (SD = 5.31) for the intervention group and 44.47 (SD = 8.12) for the
control group. All but two participants were female. The results of the Mann-Whitney U Tests showed there
were signicant differences in pre–post changes between the intervention and control groups in regard to
depression (U = 84.00, Z = 2.375, p < .05), anxiety (U = 56.50, Z = 3.269, p < .05), and stress (U = 84.00, Z =
2.377, p <.05). Difculty engaging in goal- directed behavior (a dimension of emotional regulation) was also
found to have signicant differences in the pre–post changes (U = 88.50, Z = 2.250, p < .05). Further, there
was a signicant difference in the pre–post changes in gaming-related parent–child conict (U = 98.00, Z =
2.022, p < .05).
IMPLICATIONS: Low-intensity and low-threshold interventions may help reduce parental distress associated
with their children’s excessive gaming and parent-child conicts.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Camilla K.M. Lo reports grants from the Research Grants Council of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Grant No. PolyU 15605924) during the conduct of the research
to be presented.
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#28
Factors Underlying the Association Between Children’s
Screen Time Duration and Health-Related Quality of Life
LO, CAMILLA K.M.1
BACKGROUND: While there are potential benets of screen-based activities on children’s development,
a large body of research suggests associations between excessive screen time (ST) and a wide range of
health and psychosocial impairments in children, such as children’s health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
However, the mechanisms underlying the association remain unclear. Informed by the displacement and
relational hypotheses, this study aimed to determine the extent to which displacement factors (physical
activities and sleep quality; the displacement hypothesis) and relationship factors (dysfunctional parent-child
interaction and peer problems; the relational hypothesis) mediate such association.
METHODS: The study adopted a prospective cohort study design conducted between June 2021 and August
2022. A population-representative sample of 1,428 parents of primary school children in Grades 1 to 6 in
Hong Kong (49.3% female; Mage = 8.5, SDage = 1.9) participated in the study over the course of one year
(two waves). Children’s ST was reported by parents. The study outcome, children’s HRQoL, was assessed
using the 23-item Pediatrics Quality of Life Inventory Parent-Proxy Report (PedsQL). Mediators, including
dysfunctional parent-child interaction (PCDI), peer problems (SDQ-PP), sleep quality, and weighted daily
time spent in moderate-to- vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were assessed to test the displacement and
relational hypotheses.
RESULTS: The results of the multilevel structural equation modeling showed a statistically signicant total
effect (β = -0.12, 95% CI -0.16 – -0.18) of ST on PedsQL. The association was partially mediated by sleep
quality (28.9%; β = -0.03, 95% CI -0.05 – -0.02), followed by PCDI (10.5%; β = -0.01, 95% CI -0.02 – -0.002),
SDQ-PP (7.5%; β = -0.01, 95% CI -0.02 – -0.003), and MVPA (1.5%; β = -0.002, 95% CI -0.01 – 0.001).
IMPLICATIONS: In the study, we found that impairments in sleep quality, parent-child and peer
relationships partially mediated the association between duration of ST and children’s HRQoL. Relationship-
focused intervention as well as sleep improvement strategy might buffer the negative associations of
increased screen time on children’s functioning.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Camilla K.M. Lo reports grants from the Research Grants Council of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Grant No. PolyU 25600120) during the conduct of the research
to be presented.
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#29
Eectiveness of a New Scout-Based Program on
Working Memory in Social Media Addicted Individuals:
A Case Report
LOURAGLI, ISMAIL1-3, FATH, NADA2, CHAKER LAMRANI, ANASS2, EL FARI, RADOUANE4, HAKIM, HAKIM3
BACKGROUND: Social media addiction poses a signicant challenge to psychological well-being and
cognitive functions, particularly impairing working memory and perception. These impairments are linked
to declining academic performance among adolescents and young adults. This study investigates the
effectiveness of a novel, non-pharmacological intervention, the LAR-P program, which integrates principles
of the Scout Method, in enhancing working memory among adolescents with high social media usage.
METHODS: A case study design was employed during a summer camp organized by the Moroccan
Hassania Scouting, Kenitra branch. Nine adolescents (four males and ve females) were randomly
selected from a pool of 50 participants. The study spanned 10 days and utilized pre- and post-intervention
assessments. Participants were evaluated using the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (FCR-A) for working
memory, the Facebook Addiction Test, the Nomophobia Test, and a custom questionnaire. The intervention
was based on the LAR- P model, a structured remediation approach emphasizing experiential learning
through scouting activities tailored to cognitive development.
RESULTS: Post-intervention results showed signicant improvements in working memory scores on the
FCR-A test compared to baseline. Qualitative feedback indicated increased self-awareness and perception
among participants. The data suggest that the LAR-P model effectively mitigates cognitive decits associated
with excessive social media use, promoting measurable neurocognitive gains.
IMPLICATIONS: This case study underscores the potential of scout-based interventions like the LAR-P
program to address neurocognitive impairments in adolescents struggling with social media addiction. The
ndings suggest that experiential, group-based learning strategies can complement traditional therapeutic
approaches to enhance working memory and overall cognitive health.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors report no conicts of interest or nancial support for this study.
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#30
Re-Embodiment In The Era Of Digital Appendages:
Re-Encountering Self, Other, And The Natural World
MACDOUGALL, R.C.1
BACKGROUND: Over the past two decades especially, small, powerful, screen-based digital devices (most
notably, smartphones and watches) have diffused into human culture at unprecedented pace and scale.
Any so-equipped person can attest to the powerful effects such technological enmeshment entails. Upon
even surface reection, we notice fundamental alterations to the ways we perceive, think, communicate,
remember, work and play in this era of algorithmically-enabled, and increasingly AI-driven devices and
information feeds. However, young people born into such contexts are particularly impacted by these
alterations given the functionally seamless, hence largely unconscious nature of their enmeshment.
METHODS: The current project describes recent ndings and new insights drawn from an ethnographic
research enterprise conducted over the last two years that involves more than a dozen families living in
the Boston metro area. Employing depth-interviews intermixed with regular sequences of passive and
participant eld observation, the research focuses on parent/guardian perceptions of adolescents’ activities
and experiences with and through their devices.
RESULTS: Key ndings from the research reveal patterns of progressive ‘functional disembodiment,’
decontextualization, sleep disruption and other concerning effects across the participant group. A number
of hands-on activities and practices are discussed that ameliorate these effects and offer promising means
of enhancing the general health and wellbeing of the participants particularly enmeshed with their ‘digital
appendages’ in largely static and sedentary modes. For example, experiences with wildlife, and simple
bicycle repair procedures show signicant success in reducing negative effects, through contextualized/
result-oriented hands-on problem-solving, re-embodiment, focused attention, and signicant increases in
self-efcacy.
COI DISCLOSURE: There are no COI disclosure concerns (See attached document).
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#31
Movimento Desconecta:
A Brazilian Initiative For Smartphone-Free Childhood
Through Community Leadership
MACHADO, FERNANDA1, BRUZZI, CAMILA, TEIXEIRA, ANTONIA,
CYTRYNOWICZ, FERNANDA, UCHOA, MARIANA, AMATUZZI, ALINE, LUDWIG, LIA
BACKGROUND: Excessive smartphone use among children poses challenges to their cognitive, emotional,
and social development (Kelly et. al., 2018; Christakis, 2019). Movimento Desconecta, a Brazilian initiative
founded by six mothers, seeks to address these challenges by advocating for delayed smartphone use in
childhood by empowering parents to collectively postpone a smartphone to their children. Inspired by
movements such as Wait Until 8th in the US and Smartphone-Free Childhood in the UK, this initiative
emphasizes community-driven action and local leadership to foster dialogue among parents in order to
create a healthier environment for children. This study aims to describe the methodology and outcomes
of Movimento Desconecta’s experience in promoting smartphone-free childhood across diverse school
communities.
METHODS: This study employs a descriptive design to document the experience of Movimento Desconecta
since April 2024. Movimento Desconecta adapted and created an easy to use step by step to help any parent
start in its school community a movement. Key activities include workshops, training sessions, and constant
exchange with parent leaders in school communities. Data were collected through participant observation,
interviews with leaders and parents, and surveys evaluating the perceived impact of the program on
families, and schools. The study also examined the strategies used to adapt the program to the cultural and
socioeconomic contexts of different communities.
RESULTS: The initiative successfully enrolled around 400 parents in its community and trained over
200 parent leaders across multiple school communities, creating a network of advocates who organized
discussions, provided resources, and supported families in delaying smartphone use by signing a parent pact.
A survey done in October 2024 with 101 leaders implementing Movimento Desconecta in nine different
states of Brazil showed the materials provided were considered useful by 97.8% of parents. Based on these
materials, most local leaders felt prepared to lead the movement and 11% of them were already working on
step 5 (out of 6). Participants reported improved awareness of the developmental risks associated with early
smartphone exposure and increased support for collective action. Observational data highlighted stronger
school-family collaboration and reduced peer pressure to own smartphones. Challenges included addressing
resistance from some parents and adapting the program to under-resourced schools.
IMPLICATIONS: Movimento Desconecta demonstrates the potential of community-based, parent-led
initiatives in promoting healthier digital habits among children. By empowering local leaders within school
communities, the program fosters sustainable behavioral changes and builds a supportive network for
families. These ndings emphasize the importance of grassroots approaches in addressing global challenges
related to childhood and technology use. Further studies should explore the long-term impact of such
initiatives and the scalability of the Movimento Desconecta model to other regions.
This work highlights the role of community leadership in creating meaningful change, offering a replicable
framework for similar movements worldwide.
COI DISCLOSURE: No conicts of interest to disclose.
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#32
Exploring Adolescents’ Own, Friends’, and Peers’
Social Media Experiences in Relation to Mental Health
and Advice for Others: A Latent Class Approach
MAES, CHELLY1, CHOUKAS-BRADLEY, SOPHIA2, GALLA, BRIAN3, J. MAHEUX, ANNE4
BACKGROUND: The impact of adolescents’ social media (SM) use on mental health remains unclear, with
research showing weak and inconsistent ndings. One reason may be the overreliance on screen time, which
overlooks diverse SM experiences. Much of prior crucial work in this realm has employed an individual
perspective and, thus, focused solely on adolescents’ own SM engagements. However, scholars argue how
adolescents are particularly attuned to the behaviors of their friends and peers, especially in the context
of SM. Hence, how adolescents perceive the SM experiences of those around them, in conjunction with
their own experiences, may trigger comparison processes that can impact their well-being in distinct ways.
Yet, so far, no prior research has paid attention to these potentially important aspects. This study aims to
address these gaps by 1) exploring proles based on adolescents’ own SM experiences and perceptions of
close friends’ and peers’ experiences, and 2) examining how these proles relate to well-being (i.e., life
satisfaction, happiness, self-esteem, and life purpose), and 3) examining which SM advice these adolescents
offer.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 2785 U.S. adolescents (ages 10-18, 50.4% girls) was used. Latent
class analyses were conducted using indicators of adolescents’ engagement with SM and perceptions of
friends’ and peers’ behaviors. Particularly: perceived effects of SM use (negative to positive), perceived
addiction, and appearance-related investment. Adolescents self-reported life satisfaction, happiness, and self-
esteem, and shared advice for others via an open-ended question.
RESULTS: Analyses support a 4-class solution: 1) “High benets and detriments, similar to my friends
and peers” (19.71%), 2) “I’m doing better than my friends and peers” (25.17%), 3) “Me and my friends are
doing ne” (21.18%), and 4) “Moderate benets and detriments, similar to my friends and peers” (33.94%).
Adolescents who viewed themselves and their close circles as doing well (i.e., “Me and my friends are doing
ne”) reported the highest happiness and life satisfaction, while those who reported high engagements in
positive and negative experiences for themselves, their friends, and peers (i.e., “High benets and detriments,
similar to my friends and peers”) reported the highest self-esteem and life purpose. Conversely, those in the
“I’m doing better than my friends and peers” group reported the lowest well-being.
IMPLICATIONS: These ndings underscore how SM experiences are not a one-size-ts-all and perceptions
of friends’ experiences play a key role. Future research is recommended to incorporate both objective and
subjective measures to better understand SM’s impact on adolescent well-being. Although the qualitative
advice adolescents gave for using SM are still being coded, initial themes—such as “Stranger Danger,”
“Avoid Attaching Value to Feedback,” and “Cognitive Reframing”—have already emerged as interesting
coping strategies that adolescents offer and will be further explored.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare no conicts of interest, including but not limited to, current
employment, consulting fees, nancial contributions or gifts, and any afliated products or services that
could produce a conict.
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#33
The Common Sense Census:
Media Use by Kids Age Zero to Eight, 2024
MANN, SUPREET1, CALVIN, ANGELA1, LENHART, AMANDA2, HASSE, ALEXA3
BACKGROUND: The landscape of children’s media is rapidly changing and requires regular evaluation to
keep up with trends. This current project is part of a continuing series looking at the technology and digital
device habits and attitudes of children, age 8 or younger, through the eyes of their parents. Previous iterations
of this study (2011, 2013, 2017, and 2020) have examined device ownership, platform use, and positive/
negative feelings related to technology. This fth iteration will continue to note trends in device usage while
also delving deeper into parent reactions toward new technologies and the role of Generative AI in the lives
of young children.
METHODS: We commissioned IPSOS to conduct a nationally representative survey of 1,578 parents of
young children, aged 8 and younger in July to September, 2024. Parents answered a series of questions about
their child’s media diet, including questions about screen time, device usage, and social-emotional regulation
on devices. Children’s interactions with Generative AI were assessed through items asking parents about
their child’s use of AI in various contexts as well as parent perception of AI to support different outcomes,
such as creativity building.
RESULTS: Results show average screen time among 0- to 8-year olds is 2 hours and 43 minutes, up almost
20 minutes from right before the pandemic in 2020. While most parents express a great deal of concern
about screen media (e.g., 79% were concerned about screen media’s impact on attention spans), they often
simultaneously express excitement or enthusiasm (e.g., 75% were enthusiastic about their child learning new
things from screen media). Over one-quarter of parents report their child has used AI to learn about school
related material (29%) or learn critical thinking skills (26%). Among those parents who report their child
has used AI tools, nearly one-quarter feel the impact of these tools on their child’s understanding of school
material has been mostly positive (23%).
IMPLICATIONS: While parents may not always be aware of their children’s use of media, their observations
and perspectives may provide an initial assessment of children’s use. Research on the use of generative
AI, especially among young children, is rapidly developing alongside the exponential growth of these new
technologies. As we consider the role of generative AI as part of a new wave of technological innovation, we
must also consider the impact that these tools may have on children.
COI DISCLOSURE: Common Sense Media received funding for this project from Bezos Family Foundation;
Herman H. Fleishman Foundation; Jennifer Caldwell and John H.N. Fisher; and Morgan Charitable
Foundation.
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#34
How Preschoolers’ Media Use Contributes to Later
Weight Outcomes at the Start of Elementary School
MCNEIL, JACLYN1, ASBRIDGE, MARK1, FITZPATRICK, CAROLINE2
BACKGROUND: Paediatric societies recommend avoiding digital media use for children in the hour before
bedtime. However, preschool-aged children are increasingly exposed to digital screens, often starting
before age 2 (Carson et al., 2013). The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this trend, with many preschoolers
exceeding recommended screen time limits and 56% using media within an hour of bedtime (Fitzpatrick et
al., 2022). Evidence suggests that increased screen time in early childhood may lead to unhealthy weight gain
in adulthood (Ponti, 2023; Robinson et al., 2017; Viner & Cole, 2005). One explanation for this relationship
is the negative impact of screen time on sleep, which is crucial for weight regulation. Insufcient sleep is
strongly linked to higher BMI in young children (Robinson et al., 2017; Taveras et al., 2014). However, there
is limited understanding of how media use during specic nighttime periods, particularly the hour before
bedtime, inuences later weight outcomes in preschoolers. Additionally, children from families facing
greater socioeconomic adversity may be more vulnerable to these negative effects. This study examines
the impact of overall and bedtime media use at ages 3.5 and 4.5 on weight outcomes at age 5.5. It also
investigates how familial factors—such as child sex, parental education, and marital status—moderate this
relationship. We hypothesize that more frequent exposure to background media at 3.5 and 4.5 years will be
associated with higher odds of being overweight at 5.5 years.
METHODS: Data from 315 children in the Nova Scotia Media Use Study were analyzed at ages 3.5, 4.5,
and 5.5. Parents completed the Media Assessment Questionnaire on screen habits. At 5.5, children wore
accelerometers, and trained research assistants measured weight and height. Screen use was categorized as
light, moderate, or heavy and averaged weekly. Predictors included total and bedtime screen use; BMI was
the primary outcome, categorized as overweight or normal weight. Covariates included parent education,
marital status, child age, and sex. Logistic regression estimated overweight odds, and multiple regression
assessed screen time’s association with BMI.
RESULTS: Analyses revealed no signicant link between screen use at 3.5 and overweight odds. However,
every additional hour of daily screen use at 4.5 increased overweight odds by 23.4% (OR=1.23, 95% CI
1.008–1.509, P=0.041). University-educated parents reduced overweight odds by 35.5% (OR=0.355, 95%
CI 0.154–0.819, P=0.015). Marital status was unrelated to BMI. Bedtime screen use at 3.5 and 4.5 did not
signicantly predict weight outcomes.
IMPLICATIONS: This study highlights circumstances under which digital media use is harmful for
preschoolers, especially regarding screen time’s inuence on weight outcomes. Findings emphasize the need
for targeted interventions reducing evening screen use to mitigate obesity risk, particularly in vulnerable
populations.
COI DISCLOSURE: All phases of this study were supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of
Health Research (474993-2022), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (CRC-2021-00009)
and Research Nova Scotia (2016-2019).
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#35
Looks and Likes:
Exploring the Association Between Sexual Objectification
and Social Media Appearance Concerns Among Late Adolescents
MEDINA, COURTNEY1, CHOUKAS-BRADLEY, SOPHIA1
BACKGROUND: Sexual objectication includes experiences that reduce one’s appearance or body to its
sexual worth (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). These experiences include being the recipient of unwanted
sexualized looks, gestures, and advances (Kozee et al., 2007). Sexual objectication is associated with
self-objectication—the internalization of objectication (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997)—which leads
to negative mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and disordered eating (Ward et al.,
2023). However, little research thus far has explored how sexual objectication is associated with self-
objectifying thoughts and behaviors specic to social media. This is especially important to investigate
among adolescents as they are heavy social media users and report frequent social media appearance
concerns (Choukas-Bradley et al., 2019). Therefore, the current study explores the association between sexual
objectication experiences and social media appearance concerns among a mixed-gendered sample of late
adolescents and investigates a potential protective factor—feminist identication—as feminist beliefs have
been found to be protective against self-objectication (Feltman & Szymanski 2018).
METHODS: A sample of 289 late adolescents enrolled as rst-year college students (Mage=18.5,
SDage=0.50, 51.2% Women, 26.0% People of Color, 23.5% queer) participated in a cross-sectional,
anonymous, online survey. Participants reported their sexual objectication experiences (Interpersonal
Sexual Objectication Scale; Kozee et al., 2007) and social media appearance concerns (Appearance-Related
Social Media Consciousness Scale; Choukas-Bradley et al., 2020). Covariates included self-objectication
(Self-Objectication Beliefs and Behaviors Scale; Linder & Tantleff- Dunn, 2017), depressive symptoms
(Patient Health Questionnaire-9; Kroenke et al., 2001), eating disorder symptoms (Eating Disorder
Examination Questionnaire-Short Form; Gideon et al., 2016), and gender. The moderator was feminist
identity (Social Identity-Specic Collectivism; Reid & Deaux, 2004).
RESULTS: A multiple regression analysis revealed that interpersonal sexual objectication, specically the
body evaluation subscale—but not the unwanted sexual advances subscale—was signicantly positively
associated with social media appearance concerns (b = 0. 29, SE= 0.08, p = <.001). Gender did not
signicantly moderate this association. However, feminist identity signicantly moderated this association
such that feminist identication buffered the relation between body evaluation and social media appearance
concerns (b = -0.12, SE= 0.03, p = <.001).
IMPLICATIONS: This study found that sexual objectication, specically experiences of one’s body
being evaluated, was associated with social media appearance concerns while controlling for the effects
of self-objectication and other key covariates. This suggests sexual objectication may affect how
adolescents think about their appearance on social media above and beyond the effect of self-objectication.
However, this study also found that feminist identity may be a protective factor against this association—
demonstrating a potential point of intervention against social media appearance concerns. Given that sexual
objectication occurs online and that social media appearance concerns are central to adolescent’s mental
health, our results have implications for understanding adolescent development in this digital age.
COI DISCLOSURE: The last author’s start-up funds from the University of Pittsburgh.
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#36
Screen Time Use and Food Approach
Behaviors in Preschool-Aged Children
MENDOZA, IVAN D.1, MODING, KAMERON J.1
BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends parents of preschoolers to
monitor their children’s screen use by focusing on the domains of frequency, access, content, and co-viewing.
These domains are related to child development and health, with one concern being childhood obesity. A
potential pathway to obesity is that media use can promote overeating. Food approach eating behaviors, such
as an elevated appetite or desire to eat, are associated with increased energy intake. External factors (e.g.,
parenting practices, the home environment) can shape children’s eating behaviors, but little is known about
the association between screen use and food approach behaviors. The purpose of this analysis is to explore
this association. We hypothesize lower adherence to the AAP screen time guidelines will be associated with
higher food approach behaviors.
METHODS: Eighty-one caregivers of preschool-aged children (3.8±0.8 years) were recruited to complete
an online survey asking about parent media and feeding strategies. Caregivers were predominantly mothers
(83%), married (91%), White (68%) and reported an income of $49,000 or higher (55%). A series of linear
regression models were used to test the research hypothesis. The primary predictor was a composite score
derived from the validated ScreenQ measure to assess the four domains recommended by AAP guidelines.
Possible scores range from 0-26, with higher scores representing lower guideline adherence. This was
regressed on ve food approach outcomes: Food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, emotional overeating,
desire to drink, and external responsiveness to food cues. First, a set of linear regression models included
only the composite ScreenQ score. Second, a set of models included the following covariates: household
income, food insecurity status, caregiver age, caregiver education level, and child sex.
RESULTS: In the initial models, lower adherence to the AAP screen time guidelines statistically
signicantly predicted increased food responsiveness (β=0.27, p=0.01), emotional overeating (β=0.30,
p=0.01), and desire to drink (β=0.29, p=0.01), but not enjoyment of food (β=-0.17, p=0.14) or external
responsiveness to food cues (β=0.11, p=0.32). With the addition of covariates, the ScreenQ score no longer
statistically signicantly predicted the food approach behaviors, but education level was signicant in two
models. Contrary to the hypothesis, lower adherence to screen time guidelines predicted lower enjoyment of
food (β=-.30, p=0.02) when controlling for covariates.
IMPLICATIONS: The analysis supported preliminary evidence for an association between screen use
patterns and food approach behaviors in children. However, these associations did not hold statistically
signicant when considering factors such as parent education, suggesting the need for more work to
understand which aspects of parent education are associated with child screen time and eating behaviors.
Future work should also continue to examine potential ways screen time use predicts eating and dietary
patterns in children as a strategy against adverse child weight trajectories.
COI DISCLOSURE: Data from this analysis was made possible through funding provided by Purdue
University’s Center for Families.
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#37
Empowering Digital Inclusion:
Adapting a Social Media Skills Intervention for Families
Impacted by Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
OSUNA, ANTHONY¹,², ZOLLARS, FALLON³, PEPPER, MICAH³, WENNBERG, JOHN³, LIPORADA,
JOHNNY³, HU, DAISY¹, RUCKER COKER, TUMAINI¹,², CHRISTAKIS, DIMITRI¹,², BEARSS, KAREN⁴
BACKGROUND: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including autism spectrum
disorder (ASD), face unique vulnerabilities in online environments due to challenges with interpreting
social cues, privacy awareness, and susceptibility to exploitation. Despite the risks, tailored internet safety
interventions for this population remain scarce. The Safety, Education, and Learning For the Internet
(SELFI) program, originally designed for individuals with ASD (Osuna et al., 2023), was actively adapted
through a collaborative and iterative process to meet the developmental needs of families impacted by IDD.
This mixed-methods study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of the SELFI
program for adults with IDD, incorporating community feedback to guide its ongoing adaptation.
METHODS: Using a community-partnered approach, we collaborated with Seattle Children’s Alyssa
Burnett Adult Life Center (ABC). Participants included self-advocates with IDD (n=4), caregivers (n=5),
teachers (n=4), and administrative leaders (n=4). Participants engaged in demonstration studies, including
mock SELFI lessons, and provided quantitative and qualitative feedback. Data was collected using the
Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM), Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), and Intervention
Appropriateness Measure (IAM), alongside qualitative interviews.
RESULTS: SELFI activities and content were highly rated across all groups, with activities scoring 4.40
(AIM, FIM) and 4.23 (IAM), and content scoring 4.31 (AIM, FIM, IAM). Participants found the material
engaging, feasible, and appropriate, emphasizing the effectiveness of hands-on, practical activities for adults
with IDD. However, delivery received lower ratings (AIM=3.23, FIM=3.87, IAM=3.40), highlighting the
need for in person sessions and greater caregiver involvement to improve acceptability and appropriateness.
These ndings underscore the program’s relevance while identifying delivery methods as a key area for
renement.
IMPLICATIONS: Findings from this study inform the process of adapting the SELFI program for an
especially vulnerable population that is at risk online. This adapted program will offer a collaborative and
contextually relevant framework to promote safer online engagement and social media skills for people with
IDD. A forthcoming pilot trial will further assess the program’s impact on digital safety skills and quality
of life.
COI DISCLOSURE: This study was funded by the Hearst Foundation Fellowship at Seattle Children’s
Research Institute. Research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child
Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T32HD101397.
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the ofcial views of
the National Institutes of Health. The presenting author, Anthony Osuna, is the creator of the intervention
studied; however, he does not receive any income from this program. No additional conicts of interest are
reported by the co-authors.
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#38
Exploring the Role of Child Temperament, Parental Stress, and
Disruptive Phone Use in Preschoolers’ Problematic Media Use
SEYDA OZCAN, MERYEM1, CHOI, KOEUN2
BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of media use in early childhood has raised concerns about
problematic media use (PMU) patterns in young children. PMU, characterized by excessive media
consumption that disrupts children’s social, cognitive, and academic functioning, often signals early signs
of media addiction. According to the Interactional Theory of Childhood Problematic Media Use, child
characteristics, parent-child relationships, and environmental factors play crucial roles in the development of
PMU. However, limited research has holistically examined how these factors interrelate in preschool-aged
children—a key developmental stage marked by signicant cognitive growth and environmental sensitivity.
This study explores the associations between child temperament, parental stress, and parental disruptive
media use in relation to PMU among preschool-aged children.
METHODS: Data were collected from 68 parents of children aged 3 to 5 years (Mage = 37.24 months, SD
= 5.29; 67% female) and their children (Mage = 4.33 years, SD = 0.83; 53% female). Child temperament
was assessed using the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ; Rothbart et al., 2001), which includes effortful
control, negative affect, and surgency. Parental stress was measured using the Parental Stress Scale (PSS;
Berry & Jones, 1995; reliability = .88). Parents’ disruptive phone use was assessed using the DISRUPT
measure (McDaniel, 2021; reliability = .73). Children’s vocabulary skills were assessed using the NIH
Receptive Vocabulary Task. Finally, parents reported their children’s problematic media use (PMU) using the
Problematic Media Use Measure (Domoff et al., 2017; reliability = .86).
RESULTS: A regression model was conducted to test the role of child temperament, parent stress, and parent
disruptive phone use on children’s PMU, controlling for child age, child sex, and child vocabulary skills.
None of the control variables signicantly predicted PMU. The ndings indicated that among temperament
subdimensions, only negative affect (B = .478, p < .001), but not effortful control (B = -.107, p = .362) or
surgency (B = -.043, p = .696), predicted PMU. While parents’ disruptive phone use (B = .310, p = .017)
signicantly predicted PMU, parent stress (B = -.605, p = .548) did not signicantly predict it.
IMPLICATIONS: Children with higher levels of negative affect were more likely to exhibit PMU,
highlighting the role of emotional reactivity in media use. Additionally, parental disruptive phone use but
not parental stress was associated with higher PMU in children, suggesting that parents’ own media habits
may serve as a model in PMU. These ndings emphasize the importance of considering both child and
environmental factors when addressing PMU. Interventions could focus on helping parents manage their
own media use and supporting children in developing emotional regulation skills to mitigate PMU risks.
COI DISCLOSURE: The research was conducted with the support of the TUBITAK 2214-A Program (grant
number 1059B142201569), which facilitated my visit to Virginia Tech University.
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#39
Longitudinal Changes in Inhibitory Control and Attention
in Early Adolescents with Excessive Screen Time Use
PARK, EUNYOUNG1, DWORKIN, JODI1
BACKGROUND: Despite recommendations to limit the use of digital devices, adolescents increasingly
engage in screen time; early adolescents aged 8-12 in the U.S. spend an average of 4-6 hours a day online
(American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2024). Concerns have been raised about the potential
impact of excessive screen time on inhibition functions among adolescents, with evidence suggesting an
association between higher addictive smartphone use behavior and lower self-regulation skills. However, the
long-term impact of excessive screen time on adolescents’ inhibitory control and attention abilities still needs
to be studied, especially considering this is a critical period of neurocognitive development. This study aims
to answer two research questions: 1) How do inhibitory control and attention abilities vary by gender among
adolescents reporting excessive screen time? and 2) How do inhibitory control and attention abilities change
across adolescence among youth reporting excessive screen time usage?
METHODS: This study used the rst three waves (ages 9-10, 11-12, 13-14) of the U.S. Adolescent Brain
Cognitive Development study. The Youth Screentime Questionnaire, which assessed adolescents’ typical
hours of weekday screentime (i.e., TV, social media, YouTube/Twitch, video chatting, texting, and video
games), was employed to select adolescents who reported over 12 hours of average daily screentime at
baseline. Among these adolescents, those who completed assessments of the NIH Toolbox Flanker Inhibitory
Control and Attention Test across the three waves to evaluate inhibitory function and attention abilities
were included in the analytic sample (n = 101, 41% female). T-tests and linear mixed-effects models were
conducted to identify gender differences and to describe longitudinal changes from ages 9-10 to 13-14.
RESULTS: T-test results indicated no signicant difference between males and females in average Flanker
score (t(82) = −0.37, p = 0.71) across the three time points. The results from the linear mixed models
indicated that as adolescents age, their Flanker scores improve signicantly (β = 2.59, p < 0.001), with
substantial variability in slopes across participants (SD = 2.13). Interestingly, the variations in Flanker scores
differed by gender: the variations were more pronounced in male adolescents (β = 3.12, p < 0.001), with
relatively greater variability (SD = 2.17), compared to female adolescents (β = 1.82, p < 0.001) with less
variability (SD = 1.65).
IMPLICATIONS: Our preliminary results illustrate that while inhibitory control and attention tend to
improve over time in adolescents who report excessive screen time, the rate of improvement and individual
variability can vary signicantly. Understanding these dynamics is crucial, as they are foundational in
fostering the development of self-regulation and goal-directed behavior in youth. These ndings are vital for
developing tailored interventions supporting adolescents’ cognitive growth in our increasingly digital world.
Further analyses will examine the developmental differences among adolescents with low and medium
screen time usage.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare no conict of interest.
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#40
A Mediating Role For Caeine Use In The Longitudinal Relationship
Between Gaming And Sleep Concerns In Developing Youth
PARK, JENNIFER J.1, HAN, XUEWEI2, POTENZA, MARC N.1,3,4,5,6,7*, ZHAO, YIHONG2*
BACKGROUND: Caffeine is among the most frequently used substances while gaming. Adolescents who
game may consume caffeine (e.g., energy drinks) either to compensate for lost sleep or prolong wakefulness
to enhance gaming performance, despite health guidelines advising against caffeine use before adulthood.
Given data supporting relationships between problematic gaming and sleep difculties, a mediating role for
caffeine use should be examined using longitudinal data. We hypothesized that caffeine use would mediate
the relationships between gaming duration/problems and sleep duration/difculties.
METHODS: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study data from Years 2, 3, and 4 were
analyzed (N = 2749, Mage = 11.9, SD = 0.7 at Year 2). Data from questionnaires on daily gaming duration
and problematic gaming (Year 2), weekly caffeine use (Year 3), and daily sleep duration and sleep difculties
(Year 4) were examined. Data were interrogated using an R package for causal mediation analysis.
RESULTS: Caffeine use partially mediated the relationship between problematic gaming and sleep
difculties (indirect effect = 0.023, 95% CI [0.004, 0.049], proportion mediated (PM) = 3.97%, p = 0.01),
problematic gaming and sleep duration (indirect effect = -0.006, 95% CI [-0.014, -0.001], PM = 4.69%, p =
0.02), gaming duration and sleep difculties (indirect effect = 0.044, 95% CI [0.012, 0.081], PM = 9.26%, p =
0.05), and gaming duration and sleep duration (indirect effect = -0.012, 95% CI [-0.022, -0.003], PM = 5.31%,
p = 0.01).
IMPLICATIONS: The association between gaming duration/problems and sleep duration/difculties in
adolescents appears partially mediated by caffeine use. Addressing the consumption of this widely used
substance among adolescents who game may be important for mitigating sleep-related problems. Findings
could inform healthy gaming guidelines, problematic gaming treatment, policies around the accessibility of
caffeine, and regulations on the marketing of caffeine to adolescents on online platforms (e.g., games, social
media).
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Park reports that this work was supported by the National Institute of Mental
Health (RF1 MH128614).
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#41
Neural Networks Predictive Of Problematic Gaming In Adolescents
PARK, JENNIFER J.1, LACADIE, CHERYL2, SCHEINOST, DUSTIN2,
MCCURDY, LI YAN1,2, POTENZA, MARC N.1,3,4,5,6,7*, ZHAO, YIHONG8*
BACKGROUND: Problematic gaming appears to be more prevalent among adolescents than adults.
However, data-driven research to identify neural networks predictive of problematic gaming in adolescents
remains limited. The aim of this study was to identify neural networks predictive of problematic gaming
using connectome-based predictive modelling (CPM), a machine-learning approach that employs whole-
brain functional connectivity data. We hypothesized that CPM would successfully predict problematic-
gaming scores in adolescents.
METHODS: The study analyzed data from the two-year follow-up of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive
Development study (N = 1036, Mage = 12.0, SD = 0.6), when problematic-gaming measures were
introduced. CPM was applied to problematic-gaming scores and functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) data collected during the performance of a reward-processing task. Additional CPM analyses were
conducted using resting-state and other task-based fMRI data relevant to response inhibition, emotion
regulation, and working memory.
RESULTS: CPM successfully predicted problematic gaming scores. Highly predictive connections were
observed within and between networks implicated in cognitive control and executive function (frontoparietal
and medial frontal networks), visual processing (visual area 2 and visual association networks), and salience
processing and motor response (salience and sensorimotor networks). CPM also predicted problematic
gaming scores across all other analyzed brain states.
IMPLICATIONS: Large-scale networks predictive of problematic gaming in adolescents were identied.
These networks may be targeted in novel and personalized interventions, which may inform the development
of treatment for problematic gaming. To evaluate the generalizability of the identied predictive network,
future CPM research should incorporate an external replication sample. Predictive neural networks that are
unique or shared across a range of online addictive behaviors should also be investigated.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Park reports that this work was supported by the National Institute of Mental
Health (RF1 MH128614).
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#42
Hiding in Plain Sight: Instagram Violates the DSA by
Serving as a Gateway for a Vast Network of Pedophiles
PETERS, GRETCHEN1
BACKGROUND: The goal of this project was to identify techniques that distributors of child sex abuse material
(CSAM) use to share links to CSAM on the surface web, in order to provide it to regulators at the European
Commission who are investigating Meta Inc for violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Our research
focused on Instagram, which is wholly owned by Meta, and our research question asked whether one could
develop a process for documenting the global network on Instagram of accounts that spread CSAM, as well as
those that follow them. Our hypothesis was that a combination of manual and automated research could achieve
this objective. Indeed, over an 8-week period, blending manual and automated search techniques, our team was
able to identify a network of 3.2M followers, mostly grown men, that followed more than 100 accounts, which we
had manually identied, or which were recommended to us by Instagram’s algorithms once the user accounts we
used for the research demonstrated interest in this subject. We began to develop a scalable typology for tracking
this offender community. We assess Meta could have itself implemented such a practice, and concluded that since
the company failed to do so, it was in violation of the DSA.
METHODS: To conduct this study, we established two avatar accounts that identied as adult males, using
devices and Sim cards purchased in the EU in June / July 2024. The two accounts manually searched for CSAM
content on a 5-times weekly basis. We began by searching Instagram using known code words for CSAM, such
as “cheese pizza,” which offenders have used as a stand-in for “child pornography.” Instagram blocked searches
for multiple search terms, either returning no results, or returning a message that said the company suspected we
were looking for child sex abuse, which provided a link to “get resources.” It’s worth noting that, even though
we continued searching for CSAM code terms, and received this message multiple times, our avatar accounts
were never suspended. We were quickly able to identify other search terms, such as “cplinks” and “sweetgirl,”
that led us to CSAM gateway accounts. Instagram helped us nd some of these terms by autocompleting terms
as we began to type into the search bar. Some gateway accounts, for example “pizza.saller” and mega_teen_c.p_
seller,” appeared to be using misspellings and the use of periods in the middle of words to evade algorithmic
detection. Within a week, Instagram began to recommend accounts and hashtags that led us to yet more gateway
accounts. Once we found such accounts, we collected information tied to lookalike accounts, which included their
followers, the accounts they jointly followed, and the accounts that commented on the gateway accounts, quickly
building out a vast, global, and highly interconnected network.
RESULTS: Over a 5-week period, an EU-based researcher found dozens of Instagram accounts offering links
to coded terminology used by offenders to signify CSAM. C3P, the operators of Canada’s national tipline for
reporting online child sexual exploitation, agreed to review about 100 accounts agged by ACCO. Following its
review, C3P determined the following: 17 accounts had been deleted or suspended by the time of the review; ve
were classied as CSAM; 10 were classied as suspected CSAM; and 25 more contained images of a girl whose
account claimed she was 18YO, but whose nudes had been leaked more than a year ago (undermining claims she
was an adult when they were taken). As part of C3P’s usual operations, they immediately reported the accounts
linked to veried or suspected CSAM to Meta Inc., the parent company of Instagram. Similar accounts often
appeared days later, sometimes showing the same images. Although the content hosted on Instagram was often
unsettling, we found no instances of actual CSAM hosted on the platform. We suspect some private accounts may
host CSAM, but did not engage these accounts. Our “lookalike” scrape methodology identied a global network
of 3.2M accounts, most of which appear to belong to grown men, that follow many of these accounts, and often
follow each other. Once a researcher identies one or two such accounts, it’s easy to nd others by looking at the
account followers, and who they follow. It’s also notable that many of accounts comment on the content, and it
is unambiguous that they were enthusiastic about viewing and sharing CSAM. We began to develop a scalable
typology for tracking this offender community.
IMPLICATIONS: We concluded that Meta, which has far greater resources that our small team, could have
implemented a similar practice for nding and removing this violative content. In failing to do so, Meta is
facilitating the dissemination of illegal content through its services, stemming from the platform’s design, and
content moderation failures. As a result, we assess Meta to be in violation of Articles 34 (1 & 2) and 35 of the
Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, known as the DSA.
COI DISCLOSURE: We received funding from RESET Tech for this research, which was presented to the
European Commission.
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#43
Physiological Responses to Social Media Detox:
A Randomized Control Study With, By, and For Teen Girls
RAMOS, DESTINEE1, YOBLONSKI, ISABEL2, AHN, ANDREW3, MASYS, JORDAN3
BACKGROUND: Current debates about risks and benets of social media use have turned to interventions
to limit screen time and the effectiveness of digital detoxes. While preliminary evidence suggests that
digital detoxes have potential to improve wellbeing in young adults, there are open questions about the
psychological and physiological changes for adolescents related to digital detoxes (Coyne & Woodruff, 2018).
This teen-led-intervention study explores teen girls’ daily self-report surveys and their physiological data
collected by Garmin smartwatches during a digital detox intervention.
METHODS: We recruited 44 teen girls aged 15-17 to participate in a four-day full or partial social media
detox as a part of a 12-day protocol. Throughout the study, teens wore Garmin smartwatches to track
their sleep patterns, heart rate, and stress scores, and completed nightly self-reported surveys on wellbeing
and social connectedness (SCS-R). Our goal was to determine whether reduced social media use - either
through complete abstinence (full detox) or time-restricted (partial detox) - was associated with changes in
physiological health (e.g. greater sleep time/quality, lower resting heart rate, decreased HRV derived stress
levels) and/or subjective well-being.
RESULTS: We found considerable variation in the magnitude and the direction of participants’ sleep, heart
rate, and stress scores. On average, total sleep duration increased by 26.8 minutes per night during the detox
phase compared to baseline phase (p = 0.029, d= 0.465). In the full detox, participants’ average sleep duration
increased 41.9 minutes per night (p = 0.009, d= 0.787), whereas in the partial detox, participants’ average
sleep duration increased 4.1 minutes per night (p= 0.830, d = 0.070). However, on average, participants in the
partial detox showed greater reductions in stress in both stress scores and duration spent in high stress zones
(p = 0.127, d = 0.39) as compared to the full detox (p = 0.667, d = 0.11). No signicant differences were found
in heart rate between or within the two groups. Data from nightly surveys suggest benets such as increases
in productivity and happiness, but also increases in anxiety, decreases in social connectedness, and overall
general discomfort during the detox. In post-intervention virtual focus groups, across both conditions, some
teens expressed gratitude for the detox, while others felt it had not been benecial and actually added stress
to their daily life.
IMPLICATIONS: As adults advocating for digital detoxes and phone-free spaces, this teen-led study
emphasized a nuanced approach to tech use boundaries. Although we nd that teens may have greater
benets in sleep during full detox, this benet was not carried into the partial detox. However, limited
physiological differences and reports of reduced subjective well-being and increased stress in post-
intervention focus groups in the full detox suggest that interventions may benet from nuanced attention to
both objective and subjective variables, as well as attention to youth voices.
COI DISCLOSURE: This project was crowd-funded through a public GoFundMe. A donation to this
GoFundMe was made by Instagram.
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#44
Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Its Association with
Mental Well-being Among University Students in Sri Lanka
RASMIN, M. C.1, SRIDHARAN, S.2
BACKGROUND: This study investigates the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with mental
well-being among university students in Sri Lanka. The primary objective is to explore how digital addiction
affects students’ emotional, psychological, and social health. The research tests the following hypotheses:
(H1) A signicant relationship exists between digital addiction and mental well-being; (H2) The impact of
digital addiction on mental well-being varies by demographic factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity;
(H3) The effect of digital addiction differs based on institutional factors such as university attended, study
medium, and degree type; (H4) Mental well-being is negatively correlated with higher levels of digital
addiction.
METHODS: A quantitative research design was employed using a convenience sampling method. The study
sampled participants from two universities in Sri Lanka: the University of Jaffna (UoJ) (84 students) and the
Trincomalee Campus of Eastern University (TMC) (235 students). Data were collected through an online
survey, which included two primary instruments: the Digital Addiction Assessment Toolkit (DAAT) and
the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). The DAAT was specically developed for
this study based on pre-existing tools such as Young’s Internet Addiction Test (1996, 1998), Radeef & Faisal
(2018), and Meerkerk et al. (2009). It consists of 30 items rated on a 1-5 scale, designed to measure internet
addiction across six core dimensions: Digital Addiction, Compulsive Use, Fear of Missing Out (FoMO),
Excessive Use, Losing Social Activities, and Mental Well-being. The tool aims to provide a comprehensive
understanding of the behavioral patterns associated with digital addiction and its impact on students’ social
and mental health. The WEMWBS is a 14-item scale developed by Tennant et al. (2007) to assess emotional,
psychological, and social well-being, also rated on a 1-5 scale.
RESULTS: Preliminary analysis indicates a signicant negative correlation between digital addiction and
mental well-being (r = -0.191, p < 0.001). Similarly, the initial regression analysis discovered that compulsive
use of digital devices has a signicant impact on overall well-being, while excessive use, Fear of Missing
Out (FoMO), and losing social activities were not signicant. However, data analysis is ongoing to assess the
precise inuence of the key constructs (Digital Addiction, Compulsive Use, FoMO, Excessive Use, Losing
Social Activities, and Mental Well-being) on students’ overall mental health. Regression analysis (both enter
and forward methods) will be conducted to determine which constructs have the most signicant impact on
mental well-being. Initial ndings suggest that younger students and females report higher levels of digital
addiction, which is associated with lower mental well-being. Additionally, institutional factors appear to
inuence the relationship, with students from TMC exhibiting higher levels of digital addiction compared
to UoJ students. Further statistical analyses, including regression and ANOVA, are underway to rene and
explore these relationships in more detail.
IMPLICATIONS: While data analysis is still in progress, preliminary ndings highlight a concerning link
between digital addiction and mental well-being among university students. Further analysis will provide
a clearer understanding of these relationships and offer insights into effective strategies for addressing this
growing issue.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research is entirely self-nanced and there is no conict of interest.
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#45
The Technology Use and Sleep of American Adolescents:
Updated Findings from a
National Sleep Foundation Population Survey
REICHENBERGER, DAVID A.1,2, MATHEW, GINA MARIE3,
BROMBACH, RUTH K.4, HARTSTEIN, LAUREN E.5, RODRIGUEZ, ISAAC R.3,
BOWLES, NICOLE P.1, DZIERZEWSKI, JOSEPH M.6, HALE, LAUREN3
INTRODUCTION: For almost 35 years, National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America® poll has taken the
pulse of the nation’s sleep health, with unique topics being surveyed each year. Based on data from the 2023
poll, we investigated the association between screen use within an hour of bedtime and sleep health among
adolescents.
METHODS: Data derive from an online, national survey administered in English or Spanish utilizing
a probability-based, random sample of 1138 American adolescents (15.1±1.4 years old, 13-17 years old).
Adolescents were asked about their typical technology use in the hour before bed (e.g., electronic device used
to watch videos, access social media, read). Assessed sleep health characteristics included typical weekday
and weekend bedtime, waketime, sleep duration, self-rated sleep quality, and number of nights with trouble
falling or staying asleep. Continuous sleep outcomes were analyzed with multiple linear regression, while
dichotomized outcomes were analyzed with multiple logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, and race/
ethnicity.
RESULTS: Most American adolescents (95%) used their smartphone or another electronic device within one
hour of bedtime. Common pre-sleep activities included watching videos (86%), exchanging text messages
(68%), engaging with social media (55%), and browsing the internet (54%). On weeknights, adolescents
went to bed on average at 22:59±01:52, woke up at 06:34±01:22, and slept 7.2±1.9 hours. Over the weekend,
adolescents went to bed on average at 00:34±02:19, woke up at 09:42±02:04, and slept 8.3±2.0 hours. One
in every three adolescents (33%) did not have good quality sleep, and 68% had difculty falling asleep and
40% had difculty staying asleep ≥2 nights during the week. On weeknights, pre-sleep screen use was not
associated with bedtime, but pre-sleep internet browsing was associated with 12±5 minutes earlier weekday
waketime (p=0.020) and pre-sleep social media use was associated with 15±8 minutes shorter sleep duration
(p=0.046). On the weekend, pre-sleep social media use was also associated with 31±10 minutes later
bedtime (p=0.001) and 24±8 minutes shorter sleep duration (p=0.005), while pre-sleep internet browsing
was associated with 16±8 minutes later waketime (p=0.048). Watching videos was associated with 93%
[1.32, 2.80] greater difculty falling asleep and browsing the internet with 33% [1.03, 1.73] greater difculty
staying asleep.
IMPLICATIONS: As of 2023, smartphones and other electronic devices remain common bed partners. These
devices are typically used to engage in interactive activities, which were presently shown to be associated
with later sleep timing, shorter sleep duration, and greater difculty falling and staying asleep among a
nationally representative sample of American adolescents. Public health messaging about appropriate screen
use is needed to help promote better sleep health among adolescents.
COI DISCLOSURE: DAR, GMM, LEH, IRR, and LH received a small honorarium from the National
Sleep Foundation for participation in an expert consensus panel. DAR is supported by the Cardiovascular
Research and Translational Science Fellowship (T32 HL166128). GMM is supported by the NICHD (R01
HD073352). NPB is supported by the NHLBI (K01 HL146992) and the Oregon Institute of Occupational
Health Sciences at Oregon Health & Science University via funds from the Division of Consumer and
Business Services of the State of Oregon (ORS 656.630). JMD served on an advisory panel for Eisai
Pharmaceuticals and Apnimed and received an honorarium for a presentation given for the Nevada
Psychological Association. LH is partially supported by grants from NICHD (R01 HD073352 and R21
HD097491) and the Della Pietra Family Foundation. In addition, LH receives honoraria for various
speaking engagements and is a paid consultant for the Alliance for Sleep by Idorsia. The contents of this
study do not represent the views of the National Sleep Foundation or the United States government.
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#46
Does Physical Activity Mitigate the Negative Eects of
Problematic Smartphone Use on Adolescent Sleep Quality?
Preliminary Analysis of the SmarteensCohortStudy
SILVA, MICHAEL P.1*, ALMEIDA, BRUNO P.1*,
ESPÍRITO SANTO, STEFANIEC.1, CORRÊA, LEANDRO Q.1, GUIMARAES, ROSEANE F.2
BACKGROUND: Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been associated with adverse effects on
adolescents’ health, including sleep disturbances. Moreover, physical activity (PA) protects against poor sleep
quality. This study veried the association between PSU and poor sleep quality in Brazilian students and
tested the moderating effect of PA in this relationship.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis of the ongoing Smarteens Cohort study, which involves 834
students from a southern Brazilian city. The Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version assessed the PSU
(cut-point: ≥33 points). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index assessed sleep quality, including subjective
quality, latency, duration, habitual efciency, disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction.
The presence of problems in each of the seven components and overall poor sleep quality were assessed.
Poisson regression with robust variance veried the association between PSU and sleep quality while
adjusting for sex, age, skin color, socioeconomic status, school period, and physical activity (PA). Interaction
between PSU and PA was conducted for each sleep quality component, considering PA level (Inactive, no PA
with at least 60 minutes per day of the week; Active, engages in at least one day of 60 minutes of PA during
the week) as the moderating effect variable (Inactive with PSU vs. Active with PSU). Prevalence ratios (PR)
and 95% condence intervals (95%CI) were calculated using a p-value <0.05 as a signicance level.
RESULTS: The sample consisted of 56% females, with a mean age of 14.6±1.4 years. The PSU prevalence
was 36.3%, 59.9% were physically active, and the components of sleep quality with the highest prevalence
were sleep disturbance (86.5%), sleep latency (78.9%), and daytime dysfunction (64.5%). PSU was associated
with a higher prevalence of low subjective sleep quality (PR=1.59; 95%CI=1.26;2.00), sleep latency
(PR=1.10; 95%CI=1.02;1.18), sleep disturbances (PR=1.12; 95%CI=1.07;1.18), daytime dysfunction (PR=1.28;
95%CI=1.17;1.41) and overall poor sleep quality (PR=1.32; 95%CI=1.17;1.49). PA reduced the association of
PSU with sleep duration (Inactive with PSU: PR=1.24 vs. Active with PSU: PR=1.00; p-interaction:<0.028),
sleep disturbances (Inactive with PSU: PR=1.14 vs. Active with PSU: PR=1.06; p-interaction:<0.027), and
daytime dysfunction (Inactive with PSU: PR=1.27 vs. Active with PSU: PR=1.12; p-interaction:<0.038).
IMPLICATIONS: PSU is negatively associated with sleep quality, which may be reected in students’
present and future daily lives and health issues. Improving PA may decrease the negative impact of PSU on
sleep quality in this population.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Michael Pereira da Silva reports a grant by the Brazilian National Council for
Scientic and Technological Development Grant (number: 421455/2023-3). Bruno Pedrini de Almeida report
scholarship from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel—Brazil (CAPES)—
Financing Code.
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#47
“I Feel Like my Brain is Fried”:
Exploring Children’s Perspectives of
Their (Problematic) Device Use
SWIT, CARA1, KELLY, CHRISTOPHER1, CROSSEN, SARAH1, VAN GERWEN, JENNIFER1, COYNE, SARAH2
BACKGROUND: Children are being exposed to devices at increasingly younger ages, creating a generation
of children who have been exposed to devices since birth, and no memory of life before the Internet. In
Aotearoa New Zealand, children and young people have some of the highest rates of screen use globally.
Problematic media use is typically assessed using nine criteria: withdrawal, tolerance, preoccupation,
unsuccessful attempts by the parent to control use, loss of interest in other activities, psychosocial
consequences related to media use, deception, negative impacts on relationships, and use to escape negative
moods. Young children may be particularly vulnerable to problematic media use due to early exposure.
However, little research has examined problematic media use in young children, and to our knowledge, no
research has examined children’s perspectives of their own device (over)use. To address this gap, this study
explored the device use of children aged 6-9 years, assessing their subjective experiences against the nine
problematic media use criteria to understand how they perceive and engage with devices.
METHODS: Interactive workshops were conducted with 20 children, using a child-centred approach to
position them as “experts” on their device use. To minimise traditional power imbalances, methodologies
included role-play, drawing, whole-class activities, and small group discussions. These methodologies
encouraged children to express their thoughts and feelings creatively and authentically while fostering a
safe and engaging environment for open dialogue. Data collected from these workshops were thematically
analysed deductively using the nine problematic media use criteria to identify patterns and consequences
of children’s device use. Inductive thematic analysis was then used to identify new categories of PMU that
children frequently described.
RESULTS: Children’s experiences of device use aligned with all nine problematic media use criteria,
though the strength of alignment varied. Unsuccessful control, preoccupation, and deception were prominent
themes, with many children recognising excessive use and its impact. However, certain criteria, such as
withdrawal and tolerance, were less understood by younger children, potentially reecting developmental
limitations in grasping these abstract criteria. Many children maintained interests in ofine activities,
reducing the prominence of the ‘loss of interest’ criterion. Psychosocial consequences were also minimal,
as device use was often shared with family members, fostering social connection. Additionally, children
reported subjective physical and emotional impacts, such as sore eyes after extended device use. This
criterion was a prominent and novel nding, as it is not included in current problematic media use
frameworks.
IMPLICATIONS: These ndings highlight young children’s awareness of their device use, including its
potential negative effects. They also suggest that problematic media use frameworks should expand to
include physical and emotional impacts, which children perceive as signicant. This study also highlights
the importance of integrating children’s voices into studies of device use to inform interventions and rene
denitions of problematic media use for this age group.
COI DISCLOSURE: This project was funded in part by a grant from the Royal Society Te Apārangi (23-
UOC- 071).
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#48
Categorizing Problematic Youth
Social Media Use as a Wicked Problem
THOMAS, J.1
BACKGROUND: Modern life is lled with large, complex issues — spanning social, economic, political,
environmental, and technological domains — that cross jurisdictions and societal boundaries. These
challenges are often referred to as “wicked problems,” a term introduced by design theorists Rittel and
Webber to describe problems marked by high complexity, constant change, diverse stakeholders with
conicting perspectives, and a lack of clear solutions (Head, 2022). Problematic youth social media use,
with its multi-dimensional impacts on adolescents,parents/caregivers, educators, policymakers, medical
practitioners, and social media platform engineers and data scientists, aligns with this categorization. Factors
such as cultural norms shaping usage patterns, technology and marketing practices designed to optimize
engagement and prots, and associations with rising mental health challenges illustrate the problem’s
intricate and intertwined causes and symptoms. Furthermore, the constantly evolving digital landscape —
marked by changes in platforms, features, technologies, and cultural shifts — demands ongoing adaptation
and collaborative problem-solving to address these challenges. As U.S. teens increasingly rely on social
media and demands for healthier online spaces grow, this study adopts a “balcony approach,” an adaptive
leadership strategy for addressing multifaceted challenges. This approach allows for a comprehensive
examination of the broader societal issue, providing new insights and clearer diagnoses. It aims to determine
whether problematic youth social media use qualies as a wicked problem and, if so, how tailored solutions
can be used to identify patterns, involve stakeholders, and promote systemic change.
METHODS: To address the research questions, a congurative mapping review of academic literature
involving problematic youth social media use was conducted, analyzing over 200 studies from PubMed,
Google Scholar, and Scopus. The study employed a multi-phase approach, including both random and
purposive sampling of abstracts to capture a broad overview, detailed selection and summarization of full
papers, and in-depth examination of key ndings to uncover patterns and relationships within the literature.
Findings were then compared to wicked problem criteria (Watkins and Wilbur, 2015) and evaluated for
framework t.
RESULTS: Initial ndings afrm that problematic youth social media use qualies as a wicked problem.
Its multi-dimensional nature, characterized by interconnected causes and symptoms, involves diverse
stakeholders with varying roles, perspectives, and priorities. Solutions are highly context-dependent,
inuenced by social, cultural, and technological factors. Furthermore, the dynamic digital landscape requires
continuous adaptation. This research provides critical insights into the systemic nature of problematic youth
social media use and offers a foundation for future integrated solutions that address its root causes and
cascading effects.
COI DISCLOSURE: None.
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#49
Bidirectional Associations of Problematic
Social Media Use and Problematic Gaming with
Mental Health Diiculties and Strengths in Adolescents:
Sex and Social Support as Potential Moderators
TODOROVIC, LUKA1, BOZHAR, HANAN2, DE ROOIJ, SUSANNE3,
BOGAERTS, ANNABEL1, BOYER, BIANCA4, LARSEN, HELLE1,5
BACKGROUND: Problematic social media use (PSMU) and problematic gaming (PG) have been linked
to mental health in adolescents, but the direction and nature of these associations remain unclear. Some
research suggests that adolescents with mental health difculties may be more prone to developing PSMU
and PG, while other ndings indicate that such issues may contribute to the development of mental health
difculties over time. This study examined bidirectional associations between mental health difculties
(emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention) and strengths (prosocial behavior) and
PSMU/PG in a community sample of adolescents. We hypothesized that (1) mental health difculties at Time
1 (T1) would predict increased PSMU/PG at Time 2 (T2), (2) mental health strengths at T1 would predict
decreased PSMU/PG at T2, (3) PSMU/PG at T1 would predict increased mental health difculties at T2, and
(4) PSMU/PG at T1 would predict decreased mental health strengths at T2. We also explored the moderating
role of sex differences and social support.
METHODS: The analysis sample consisted of 645 Dutch adolescents (63% male, Mage = 15.8 at T1). Data
were collected at two timepoints (2019 and 2021). Mental health domains were measured using the Strengths
and Difculties Questionnaire. PSMU and PG were assessed with the Social Media Disorder Scale and
Internet Gaming Disorder Scale. A (multigroup) cross-lagged panel model was used to analyze bidirectional
relationships.
RESULTS: Emotional problems at T1 predicted increased PSMU (β = .17, p < .001) and PG (β = .15, p <
.001) at T2. These effects were stronger in girls: emotional problems at T1 signicantly predicted both PSMU
(β = .15, p = .025) and PG (β = .22, p= .001). In boys, PG at T1 predicted emotional problems at T2 (β =
.09, p = .038), and hyperactivity/inattention at T1 predicted later PSMU (β = .10, p = .048). No signicant
cross-lagged effects were observed for conduct problems or prosocial behavior. In the low support group,
emotional problems at T1 predicted both PSMU (β = .140, p = .030) and PG (β = .223, p < .001) at T2,
whereas in the high support group, emotional problems predicted PSMU (β = .183, p < .001), but not PG (β =
.076, p = .089).
IMPLICATIONS: Emotional problems may heighten vulnerability to PSMU and PG in girls, reecting
a tendency to cope through digital engagement. In boys, hyperactivity/inattention predicted PSMU,
while PG increased subsequent emotional difculties. These results highlight the importance of tailoring
prevention efforts to distinct psychological vulnerabilities and coping proles, particularly by addressing
emotion regulation and attentional issues. Social support may buffer against PG, while in contrast, it could
hypothetically reinforce PSMU when adolescents primarily seek connection through online platforms.
COI DISCLOSURE: We have no known conict of interest to disclose. The study received no specic
funding.
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#50
Leveraging School-Based Targets to Address the
Impact of Screen Use on Child and Youth Mental Health
TSUJIMOTO, KIMBERLEY C.1, ANAGNOSTOU, EVDOKIA2,3, BIRKEN, CATHERINE S.2,4,
CHARACH, ALICE1,5, COST, KATHERINE1,CROSBIE, JENNIFER1,5, FREI, JULIA6, KELLEY, ELIZABETH,
MAGUIRE, JONATHON2,8,9, MONGA, SUNEETA1,5, TRINARI, ELISABETTA6, KORCZAK, DAPHNE J.1,5
BACKGROUND: As both child and youth screen use and mental health (MH) problems have signicantly
increased in recent years (Cost et al., 2021; Madigan et al., 2023), decreasing screen use has become a
putative intervention target to improve child and youth MH. Increasing screen use may exacerbate MH
problems, however the mechanisms by which screen use is associated with child and youth MH are not well
studied. Sense of belonging and ensuring children feel safe at school are two potentially important factors
in these pathways, but data examining these mechanisms are needed (Tsujimoto et al., 2024). The objective
of this study was to examine temporal associations between screen use and child and youth MH, while
considering the mediating roles of sense of belonging and safety at school. We hypothesized that lower levels
of screen use would be associated with better sense of belonging and safety at school, and subsequently
improved MH.
METHODS: Participants were 1,125 children and adolescents (Mage.enrollment= 10.24 years) recruited
from community and clinical settings. Parents of children 6-18 years and adolescents 10-18 years completed
online prospective surveys about screen use, sense of safety and belonging at school, validated measures of
internalizing (depression, anxiety) and externalizing (irritability, inattention, hyperactivity) MH symptoms.
Structural equation modelling tested longitudinal associations between screen use (2023) and MH one year
later (2024), including the mediating role of perceived safety and belonging at school. All models controlled
for child demographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, family income) and prior MH/neurodevelopmental disorder
(NDD).
RESULTS: Greater total screen use was directly associated with lower sense of belonging (B = -.24 CI[-
.35, -.13]; B = -.33 CI[-.48, -.19]) and safety (B = -.13 CI[-.24, -.01]; B = -.32 CI[-.47, -.17]) among parent- and
youth-reports, respectively. Greater screen use was associated with greater internalizing and externalizing
MH symptom severity one year later via the impact on school belonging, with consistent ndings across
parent- and youth-reports (range B = .07, CI[.03, .10] to B = .15 CI[.06, .23]). Direct associations between
screen use and children’s MH were initially observed, but not sustained when covariates were added to the
models. Signicant covariates included age, sex, income, and prior MH/NDD diagnosis.
IMPLICATIONS: Study ndings suggest that greater screen use is associated with poorer child and
adolescent MH in part due to its negative effect on sense of belonging. Thus, efforts to reduce screen use
may be bolstered by school-based investments that prioritize sense of belonging to optimize impacts on child
and youth MH. Future research examining the effectiveness of interventions in improving sense of school
belonging are needed to inform a comprehensive approach to improving mental health that includes both
direct (i.e., screen use) and indirect (i.e., sense of belonging) intervention targets.
COI DISCLOSURE: The presenting author, Kimberley Tsujimoto, has received funding from the Canadian
Institutes for Health Research. Data presented are from the Ontario COVID & Kids Mental Health Study
which is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (#173092, #EG2-179443, #WI2-179954); the
Ontario Ministry of Health (#700); Centre for Brain and Mental Health, SickKids; Leong Centre for Healthy
Children, SickKids; and the Miner’s Lamp Innovation Fund in Prevention and Early Detection of Severe
Mental Illness, University of Toronto. In-kind support was provided by the Ontario Brain Institute for all
POND data. Spit for Science was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (PJT-159462). The
views of the Ontario COVID & Kids Mental Health Study do not necessarily represent those of the Province
of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Health. None of the listed authors have any competing interests to
disclose and there are no COI related to the work presented.
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#51
Adolescent Smartphone Distraction
Management in Dierent Contexts:
A Latent Profile Analysis
WANG, YUNQI1, SUN, XIAORAN2, MOLAIB, KIMBERLY3,
RAM, NILÀM4, REEVES, BYRON B.4, ROBINSON, THOMAS N.4
BACKGROUND: Smartphones are ubiquitous in adolescents’ lives (Pew Research Center, 2023), leading
to constant distractions across different contexts, such as when eating and going to sleep. Recent literature
has found that adolescents sometimes adopt strategies to manage smartphone distractions (Toh et al., 2019).
However, the contexts in which adolescents tend to perform smartphone distraction management (SDM) and
the heterogeneity in adolescents’ SDM styles are yet unknown. This study aims to identify different proles
of adolescents’ SDM across different contexts using a longitudinal dataset.
METHODS: The study uses data from the Adolescent and Family Screenome Study, a longitudinal study of
smartphone use in a U.S. nationwide sample of adolescents. Adolescents’ frequency of SDM was measured
via online surveys every other week on up to 13 occasions over 6 months. The current analysis is based
on a total of 1,354 survey responses obtained from 145 adolescents aged 13-17 years at baseline (M=15.53,
SD=1.45; 48.2% female, 44.8% male, 7.0% non-binary/other; 54.5% White, 13.1% Black/African American,
12.4% Hispanic/Latino, 8.3% Asian, 1.4% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 9.7% Other/Multiracial). On
a 5-point scale, adolescents reported how often they silence, put away, or turn off their phone in 8 different
contexts, going to sleep, having a meal with someone, doing homework, spending time with parent(s)/
sibling(s)/other family members, hanging out with friends, and driving/in the car. Latent prole analysis
(LPA; Tein et al., 2013) was used to identify proles for SDM frequency across the 8 different contexts.
RESULTS: LPA results indicate the ve-class solution as the best t, with AIC=28592.08, BIC=28863.04,
SSABIC=28697.86, Loglikelihood=-14244.04, Entropy=.886, smallest prole size=134 responses; p-values
for VLMR=.0186, LMR=.0195, and BLRT=.00. Models with one through ve classes converge; six and more
classes fail to converge. We consider Prole 1 the “never managing” prole (17.4% of responses across 51
participants), characterized by never/almost never adopting any SDM across all 8 contexts. Prole 2 is the
“sleep- and meal-oriented managing” prole (21.4%, 83), with moderate frequencies of SDM while going
to sleep and having meals but low frequencies in other contexts. Prole 3 is the “sometimes managing”
prole (24.4%, 95), with moderate SDM frequencies across all contexts. Prole 4 is the “mostly managing”
prole (26.9%, 82), with relatively high SDM frequencies across contexts. Prole 3 and 4 have slightly higher
frequencies of SDM when going to sleep compared to other contexts. Prole 5 is the “pervasively managing”
prole (9.9%, 43), with the response being “all the time” across all the contexts. The results reveal distinct
patterns in SDM in different contexts across time and adolescents, and adolescents’ higher tendency towards
adopting SDM when going to sleep compared to other contexts. The study has implications for tailored
interventions and monitoring practices in promoting adolescents’ healthy smartphone habits and minimizing
smartphone distractions.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was supported by the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research
Institute, the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University, and the National Institute of Mental Health
(R01MH138929). The funding sources had no role in the design and conduct of the study; analysis and
interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the
manuscript for publication. The authors have no conicts of interest.
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#52
The Impact of Zoom’s Self-View Feature on Cognitive and
Aective Functioning Among Those with ADHD Symptoms
WEIR, ABIGAIL1, FINDLEY, ABIGAIL1,2, DE RUTTE, JENNIFER1,2, LANE, DANA1,
MEI, MAYLYN1, WESCHKE, JULIET1, ZALANYI, SARA1, DENNIS-TIWARY, TRACY1,2
BACKGROUND: Zoom usage surged nearly 3,000% following the COVID-19 pandemic and has become a
widely recognized means of communication (Iqbal, 2023), however, certain features of video conferencing
platforms have potential negative impacts. Often referred to as Zoom fatigue, these impacts include
increased negative affect, fatigue, and distractibility, potentially stemming from the cognitive load imposed
by video conferencing features that differ from non-digital interactions, such as the Self-View feature
(Bailenson, 2021). Viewing one’s own face is known to be particularly distracting (Brédart, 2006) and has
the potential to increase negative affect when viewed for prolonged periods of time (Barnier & Collison,
2019). Individuals with cognitive processing impairments, such as attention-decit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), may be particularly vulnerable due to their increased distractibility and emotion regulation
decits (Adhani & Remijn, 2023; Harpin et al., 2013). This study explored whether the Self-View feature
would disproportionately increase cognitive load and Zoom fatigue for those with ADHD symptoms. It was
hypothesized that (a) those with higher levels of ADHD symptoms (H-ADHD) versus lower (L-ADHD)
would experience greater cognitive load in the Self-view on versus off condition; and (b) those in the
H-ADHD group and with greater cognitive load would experience the greatest Zoom Fatigue.
METHODS: Fifty undergraduates (Mage = 20.42, 70% female) from an urban public university were
assigned to Self-View on or off conditions. Participants completed a baseline measure of ADHD symptoms
(ASRS-5; Ustun et al., 2017), engaged in a Zoom lecture (Kleiner, 2012), and reported cognitive load for the
lecture task (Paas Mental-Effort Rating Scale; Paas, 1992), state anxiety pre- and post-lecture (Beck Anxiety
Inventory; Beck et al., 1988), and levels of Zoom fatigue (ZEFS; Fauville et al., 2021).
RESULTS: A marginally signicant interaction showed that H-ADHD individuals reported greater cognitive
load in the Self-View on versus off condition (F (1,46) = 3.903, p = .054). No signicant interaction was
found among ADHD symptoms, Self-View condition, and cognitive load on Zoom fatigue, however main
effects showed those with H-ADHD versus L-ADHD reported greater Zoom fatigue, (F (1,38) = 12.041 p
< .001), as well as those in the Self-View off versus on conditions (F (1,38) = 4.961 p =.032). Exploratory
analyses indicated that H-ADHD participants reported reduced state anxiety in the Self-View on condition (F
(1,46) = 4.070, p = .05).
IMPLICATIONS: The Self-View feature on videoconferencing platforms may increase cognitive load for
individuals with high ADHD symptoms due to its distracting nature, especially during passive tasks like
watching a lecture, however these effects did not seem to contribute to overall Zoom Fatigue. The presence
of Self-View may also play a stabilizing role by providing consistent visual feedback for self-monitoring,
potentially reducing anxiety. Findings suggest a potential dual role that the Self-View may play, increasing
cognitive load for those with high ADHD, while reducing anxiety through self-monitoring.
COI DISCLOSURE: This project was funded by a Doctoral Student Research Grant, The Graduate Center,
The City University of New York, PI: Findley, A. We have no conicts of interest to report.
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#53
Formative and Summative Evaluation of the
Talk More, Tech Less 30-day program
WIBLE, DAWN1, LANGLAIS, MICHAEL1
BACKGROUND: Mobile media usage among families surged by 180% during the pandemic, raising
concerns about its negative impact on family interactions, which are vital for child and adolescent
development, family rapport, and mental well-being. In response, the Talk More, Tech Less program was
created to educate families about the healthy use of technology. Participants engaged in a 30-day program
involving daily notecard readings and practices designed to promote awareness of current technology habits
and encourage adjustments to digital behaviors. This study gathered pilot data to assess the program’s
efcacy. It was hypothesized that participants in this program will experience a reduction in average hours
spent on technology devices and improved self-regulation skills. Additionally, we predicted that participants
would feel empowered and motivated to continue adopting healthy technology habits.
METHODS: A mixed-methods, multiple study approach was employed. In the rst phase, 30 participants
completed an online survey post-program to report weekly device use hours before and after the program
and assess their ability to regulate their mobile technology use on a scale from 1 to 7, where higher scores
indicate greater control. Participants also provided open-ended feedback on program strengths and areas
for improvement. The second phase, coinciding with the 2025 Lenten season, involved 39 individuals
(66.7% female) who participated in the program, and completed pre-test and post-test assessments and
weekly surveys to track changes in mobile media use, mental well-being, and family rapport throughout
the program. Data was analyzed using paired samples t-tests applying Bonferroni corrections; open-ended
questions were analyzed using thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Data from Study 1 revealed a signicant decrease in mobile device use as a result of the Talk
More, Tech Less program. Before the program, participants reported using mobile devices for an average of
26.02 hours per week, which dropped to 15.93 hours after the program. Furthermore, the ability to regulate
mobile media use showed signicant improvement. Results from the second phase showed similar trends,
with participants reporting average declines in total smartphone use by 118 minutes. Additionally, scores
on anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms declined as a result of the program, whereas regulation skills
and condence in regulation signicantly increased. Finally, thematic analysis revealed that nearly all
participants highlighted benets of the program, especially emphasizing the value of the daily activity cards.
IMPLICATIONS: The Talk More, Tech Less program demonstrated that allocating time to reect on
technology habits can enhance well-being by fostering a better balance of device use and strengthening
personal connections within relationships. These ndings may inform future initiatives aimed at promoting
healthier technology practices among families.
COI DISCLOSURE: The Department of Human Science and Design helped fund the second study. There are
no conicts of interest for the authors to report.
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#54
Screen Time at Bedtime:
A Predictor of Sleep Duration in Young Children
WILDER, ISABEL1, RIGGINS, TRACY1, SPENCER, REBECCA2
BACKGROUND: Recent studies have indicated that screen use, particularly before bedtime, may negatively
affect children’s sleep (Staples et al., 2021). While previous research has focused on the overall impact of
screens, the specic timing of screen use, such as the delay between watching TV in the evening and going
to sleep, remains underexplored. We investigated the association between the timing of TV watching before
bed and sleep duration in young children. Additionally, we examined whether concurrent metrics of brain
development were associated with screen time.
METHODS: The nal analysis included 75 participants with usable data drawn from past and present studies
on early brain development. Seven participants reported no screen time and were not included. The mean
age of participants was 3.92 years (SD = 0.57), with 39 females. The majority were Caucasian and from
middle to upper-middle-class backgrounds, reecting the characteristics of the surrounding community. Data
were collected through parental surveys and at the University Neuroimaging Center. A multiple regression
analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of TV use before bed and age on the amount of sleep reported.
RESULTS: Screen time before bed ranged from 0 minutes to 3 hours (M = 4.70, SD = 1.35, mode = 4, with
a score of 4 indicating nishing TV 30 minutes before bedtime, and 5 indicating nishing 1 hour before
bedtime. Sleep duration varied between 8-14 hours (M=10.65, SD = 1.26). TV use before bed (controlling
for age) explained a signicant amount of variance in sleep duration, F(2, 72) = 6.692, p = .002; accounting
for 15.7% of the total variance (R² = .157, adjusted R² = .133). TV use before bed was a signicant predictor
of sleep duration (β = .385, p = .001), such that a greater delay between TV watching and bedtime was
associated with longer sleep. Specically, each additional hour between watching TV and bedtime was
associated with an increase in sleep duration of approximately 0.36 hours. Age, however, was not a
signicant predictor (β = -.042, p = .703), suggesting that age did not inuence the relation between TV use
and sleep duration. We found no relations between brain metrics and sleep or screen time.
IMPLICATIONS: The ndings suggest that more of a delay between TV use and bedtime is signicantly
associated with longer overnight sleep in young children. This emphasizes the potential negative impact of
screen use before bedtime on sleep, highlighting the need for strategies aimed at reducing late-night screen
time to improve sleep outcomes for children. While concurrent brain development was not found to be
signicantly related to screen time, the study is ongoing, and future analyses with additional participants
and longitudinal data may provide further insights into relations among screen time, sleep, and brain
development.
COI DISCLOSURE: Isabel Wilder has no disclosures to report.
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#55
Multidimensional Perspectives of Parental Media Use:
A Latent Transition Analysis
ZHANG, JASMINE1, WADE, MARK2, BROWNE, DILLON T.1
BACKGROUND: Parental media use has received growing attention as technology becomes increasingly
integrated into family environments. Research in this area primarily focuses on technoference (i.e., the
intrusion of digital media use into their interactions with family members). An important next step involves
addressing multiple aspects of parental media use and how they evolve over time. This study thus assessed
three-year proles of digital media use in parents and caregivers.
METHODS: Caregivers of children aged 5–17 from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and
Australia (N = 247, Mage = 41.3 ± 6.3 years, 67.76% female) self-reported their frequency (1 = Never to 5 =
Very Often) of experiencing technoference, as well as using technology to relax, view the news, and connect
with others. Responses were collected in September 2020, 2021, and 2022. Proles of media use at baseline
were extracted via latent transition analysis, and one-wave transition probabilities for subsequent years (i.e.,
2020 to 2021, and 2021 to 2022) were estimated.
RESULTS: The results supported a three-prole solution (AIC = 7818.02, BIC = 7951.37, aBIC = 7830.91,
Entropy = .87). The largest group (High News Viewers; n = 142, 57.50%) demonstrated moderate levels
of media use, with news viewing as the most frequent activity. Approximately one-third of was designated
Overall High Media Users (n = 92, 37.25%). Caregivers in this group showed high amounts of media use
across all activities but reported relatively lower technoference. Finally, a small proportion (n = 13, 5.26%)
was classied into the High Technoference group, which had higher technoference despite generally
low amounts of media use. Transition probabilities indicated stability in the High Technoference prole;
caregivers in this group in September 2020 were likely to show the same pattern of media use at subsequent
time points. The High News Viewers demonstrated a high chance (95.00%) of being classied into the
same group from September 2020 to September 2021. This stability decreased slightly from 2021 to 2022,
with a 6.63% chance of becoming an Overall High Media User and a 4.80% chance of falling into the High
Technoference group. Parents who were Overall High Media Users in September 2020 showed an 89.90%
chance of being reclassied into the same group one year later and an 11.10% chance of becoming a High
News Viewer. This group’s stability was similar from September 2021 and 2022, although a slight possibility
(1.50% chance) of falling into the High Technoference group emerged. Multinomial logistic regression will
be used to identify covariates and outcomes associated with prole transitions.
IMPLICATIONS: The results highlight heterogeneity in caregivers’ media use patterns, which may change
slightly over time. Future work must explore their interactions with well-being outcomes across child and
family levels of analysis.
COI DISCLOSURE: Jasmine Zhang does not have any conicts of interest to disclose.
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#56
Battling the Digital Shadows: How Ghana is Advancing
Child Online Protection Against Poverty-Driven OCSEA,
Cyberbullying, Sextortion, and Cyber Trauma – A Model for Africa
ADINKRAH, EDWARD, MD, MPH, PMP, CDIP, COMPTIA SEC+¹,
ADINKRA, EMMANUEL, CISA, MCSA, MCSE, SECURITY+, PMP, PHD (CANDIDATE)²
BACKGROUND: The rapid expansion of internet access in Africa has exposed children to increased risks
of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA), cyberbullying, sextortion, and cyber trauma,
particularly in economically disadvantaged communities. In Ghana, a 2021 UNICEF report highlights
signicant challenges in child protection, including unregistered births, children living without parental care,
and exposure to violence, both ofine and online. Furthermore, in 2022, Ghana recorded approximately
22,000 instances of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) accessed, shared, or generated online, underscoring
the urgent need for effective interventions. This study examines Ghana’s comprehensive approach to
combating these issues, positioning it as a potential model for child online protection across Africa.
We hypothesize that Ghana’s integration of policy development, digital literacy initiatives, community
engagement, and mental health support can offer a scalable framework to protect vulnerable children in
resource-limited settings.
METHODS: This study employs a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the impact of Ghana’s child online
protection initiatives. Data collection included surveys conducted with 500 Ghanaian children and youth
aged 10–18, focus groups with educators, parents, and community leaders, and interviews with policymakers
and mental health professionals. Quantitative data assessed the prevalence of OCSEA, cyberbullying, and
sextortion, alongside related mental health impacts such as anxiety and depression. Qualitative data gathered
insights into the effectiveness of various interventions, including school-based digital literacy programs,
child-focused mental health support services, and local partnerships in both urban and rural areas.
RESULTS: Preliminary ndings reveal a signicant incidence of cyberbullying (63%) and sextortion
(22%) among Ghanaian children, with notable mental health impacts such as heightened anxiety (48%)
and depressive symptoms (35%). Children in low-income areas showed greater exposure to OCSEA and
limited awareness of digital safety measures. Ghana’s integrated approach—combining targeted educational
campaigns, supportive policy measures, mental health services, and community-led initiatives—has
yielded promising outcomes. School-based programs and culturally relevant community outreach efforts
have signicantly increased children’s awareness and engagement in safe online practices, especially in
underserved areas, highlighting the efcacy of localized, child-centric interventions.
IMPLICATIONS: Ghana’s approach to child online protection offers critical insights for other African
nations facing similar challenges. By adopting Ghana’s model, African countries can build resilient
frameworks to protect children from digital threats, foster safe digital engagement, and promote mental well-
being. The ndings underscore the importance of collaborative efforts between governments, NGOs, and
local communities to make digital safety resources accessible and culturally appropriate for children across
Africa.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was supported by the Ghana Internet Safety Foundation. No other
conicts of interest are reported.
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#57
Parent Education, Child Age,
and Background Television Exposure in the United States
BARNSTONE, DAVID1, RAM, NILAM1
BACKGROUND: Despite the popularity of online video platforms like YouTube, 97% of families with
young children report having a television (TV) at home (Mann et al., 2025). Nearly 40% of parents report
that the TV is on “always” or “most of the time,” even when no one is watching (Rideout & Robb, 2020).
This is concerning because background TV (BTV) exposure has been previously associated with reduced
quantity and quality of parent-child interaction (Kirkorian et al., 2009; Pempek et al., 2014), disrupted toy
play (Schmidt et al. 2008), and impaired executive functioning when exposure occurs during sleep or solo
play (Nichols, 2022). These effects may be particularly disruptive for toddlers (< age 2 years) from lower
socioeconomic backgrounds (Lapierre et al., 2012). The present study extends prior work by leveraging large,
more nationally representative and recently curated datasets to investigate year-to-year differences in BTV
exposure and its sociodemographic predictors.
METHODS: We analyzed data from 2013 and 2017 Common Sense Media surveys (Rideout, 2021) and then
extended this analysis with data collected between 2018 and 2022 by the Environmental inuences on Child
Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program (Gillman, 2023). Parents reported their child’s BTV exposure coded
from “Never” (= 1) to “Always” (= 5) and their own level of formal education.
RESULTS: Consistent with previous research, results from a multiple regression model of the Common
Sense Media data indicated that parents’ education accounted for 10% of differences in BTV exposure (R2
= 0.102; F(45, 2789) = 7.02, p < .001), with higher levels of education associated with lower BTV exposure
(High school: β = -0.57, p < .01; Some college: β = -0.75, p < .001; Bachelor’s degree or higher: β = -1.17,
p < .001). Contrary to our hypothesis, average BTV exposure among the least educated families with the
youngest children decreased from 3.92 (SD = 0.86) in 2013 to 3.76 (SD = 1.02) in 2017. Parallel analysis of
the ECHO data also showed a consistent decline in BTV exposure from 2018 to 2022 among the lowest
education levels (Year × Less than high school: β = -0.45, p < .05) (R2 = 0.047; F(30, 2167) = 3.55, p < .001).
IMPLICATIONS: We found unexpected decreases in average BTV exposure over time that may not
be apparent in smaller, more homogeneous samples. We are now examining how differences in BTV
exposure relates to children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development. All together, this work highlights
opportunities for reanalyzing existing survey data to ask new questions about changes in family media use
over time and how those changes may be reshaping the effects of media on children’s development.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors have no conicts of interest.
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#58
Digital Media Exposure and Young Children’s
Socio-Emotional Development: A Meta-Analysis
TAYLOR, GEMMA1, SALA, GIOVANNI2, KOLAK, JOANNA3,
GERHARDSTEIN, PETER4, HACKERT, VICTORIA4, VERNACCHIO, ANNA5, BARR, RACHEL5
BACKGROUND: Globally, research suggests that children are using digital media from a young age with
75.3% of 0-2 year olds exposed to digital media and 64.4% of 2-5 year olds using digital media for at least 1
hour per day (McArthur et al., 2022). However, this time spent using digital media could replace children’s
face to face interactions which are essential for healthy socio-emotional development (Eisenberg et al., 1998),
or negatively impact children’s socio-emotional development via exposure to aggressive content (Bandura
et al. 1963) or using media use to regulate children’s emotions (Radesky et al. 2016). In addition, children’s
digital media exposure encompasses media use by caregivers and those around them which can disrupt
children’s early social interactions via “Technoference” – interruptions to face to face interactions by digital
media (McDaniel & Coyne, 2016). The proposed meta-analysis will enable us to understand the relationship
between children’s media exposure and their socio-emotional development.
METHODS: This meta-analysis was registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) on 20/03/2024
(https://osf.io/46jvg/?view_only=438232e1c24e49cbbf6fdab397ff11a0). Articles were identied for inclusion
in this meta-analysis if they were experimental or correlational studies investigating neurotypical 0–6-year-
old children’s media exposure and socio-emotional development. On the 20th March 2024, we conducted
a search for articles from 1960 onward on APA PsycArticles®, APA PsycExtra, APA PsycInfo, ProQuest
Dissertations & Theses Global, ProQuest One Psychology and Psychology Database. To ensure literature
saturation we also used the backward/forward approach for included papers (Webster & Watson, 2002).
RESULTS: The literature search identied 1560 articles, following screening and data extraction 51 studies
were identied for inclusion in this meta-analysis. The backward/forward method identied a further 33
studies. Thus, data extraction is completed for the nal 84 studies. Analyses will be conducted separately
for experimental and correlational studies with age, media characteristics, child vs parent media use and
measurement of socio-emotional development as moderators.
IMPLICATIONS: The present meta-analysis will provide robust evidence for policy makers in child
development. Furthermore, we make a call for better open science practices for research on child
development in the digital age given that we were unable to access the data needed for our meta-analysis
from more than 100 studies.
COI DISCLOSURE: There are no funding sources or patents associated with this project.
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#59
Digital Technologies and Wellbeing:
Ethnographic Insights from Turkish Diasporic Youth in London, UK
BASER, EBRU1
BACKGROUND: Digital technologies and the internet offer communication possibilities and ways to
communicate with people, acquaintances, family members and friends at long distances. This suggests
that these technologies would be useful for people living in the diaspora and minority groups outside their
homeland. Children in this context, residing in the diaspora or minority groups, as active actors of digital
world (see, for example, Livingstone, 2002; Buckingham, 2008), may benet from these possibilities, as well,
but we must consider the potential consequences of the use of digital technology for diasporic purposes.
This ethnographic paper examines the relationship between digital technology use and the wellbeing of
Turkish diasporic children living in London, UK. The research aims to explore how these children use digital
technologies to communicate with their homeland and what the potential impacts of technology and the
internet use are on their psychological and social wellbeing. Moreover, digital technologies and internet use
may require skills at certain levels and result in wellbeing, since, as stated by Smahel et al. (2023), children
as migrants or members of diaspora and minority groups develop identity-related and communication skills.
Identity-related skills are essential for socio-emotional development, such as achieving self-awareness and
gaining social validation, while communication skills help them connect with their family members and
maintain their bonds with their homeland.
METHODS: The study was conducted with 106 Turkish diasporic children born and raised in London, and
data collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observations, focus groups, presentations, and
informal dialogues.
RESULTS: The main ndings reveal that digital technologies and the internet serve as the primary means
for the participants to communicate with their kin in their homeland, which has positive and possible
associations with their psychological and social wellbeing. Digital technology and the internet use could
strengthen the bonds with their relatives and shape the meanings and sense of homeland for these diasporic
children. Furthermore, the study suggests that digital technologies and the internet help the participants
sustain their identity. The insights from this research contribute to the unexplored aspect of the relationship
between technology use for diasporic purposes and wellbeing in the context of digital technology and
research on children. The ndings indicate a pressing need for future research opportunities related digital
technologies, diaspora, and children.
COI DISCLOSURE: No funding or other conicts of interest; the study is not included in any third part(s).
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#60
Prospective Associations Between
Parental Screen Use Profiles and Child Executive Functions
BINET, M.-A.1, CRISTINI, E.2, VELASQUEZ TABARES, C. D.3, GARON-CARRIER, G.2, FITZPATRICK, C.2
BACKGROUND: Parental screen use habits play an important role in shaping child media ecologies. Parent
screen time, the use of screens to calm a child (digital emotion regulation), and the management of child
screen time, have been linked to child development. However, few studies have simultaneously considered
how multiple parent screen use behaviors may contribute to child outcomes. Furthermore, less is known
about the potential impact of parent screen use behaviors on the development of child executive functions,
which are highly inuenced by the quality of child experience and interactions. As such, children who grow
up in families with frequent and invasive screen use may forfeit opportunities to develop executive functions.
Our objective is to examine how parent screen use proles estimated from parent screen time, cellphone use,
child digital emotion regulation, and management of child screen use, contribute to child executive functions.
METHOD: Our sample consists of 315 parents of preschool-aged children from Canada. When children were
aged 3.5, parents reported their own screen time and cellphone use, frequency of digital emotion regulation
of the child, and parent monitoring (restrictive, instructive, social coviewing) of child screen use. At age
5.5, children completed direct assessments of executive functions using the inhibitory control and cognitive
exibility tasks from the NIH Toolbox. Parents also provided information on child sex, age, and effortful
control as well as parent education and income.
RESULTS: Using latent class analysis, families were categorized as either: (1) Moderate screen users,
characterized by the lowest parent screen use, cellphone checking, and digital emotion regulation of the child
(21%); (2) High parent monitoring, characterized by intermediate parent screen use and cellphone checking
and the highest use of social coviewing and parental restrictive and instructive management of child screen
use (49%); or (3) Intensive screen users (30%), characterized by the highest parent screen use, cellphone
checking and digital emotion regulation of the child. Using multiple regression, we compared children of
parents in the Moderate group to those in the High monitoring and Intensive groups. Results revealed that
children of Intensive and High monitoring parents scored lower on cognitive exibility than children of
Moderate parents, standardized regression coefcient, β = -.23, p = .024 and β = -.25, p = .010, respectively.
IMPLICATIONS: We found that parent screen use proles were signicantly associated with differences
in executive functioning skills. In particular, more frequent use of screens by parents, and more digital
emotion regulation of the child contributed to worse child executive functions. Our results underscore the
need for whole-family interventions to promote adaptive, strength-based approaches to reduce the negative
consequences of screens on child development.
COI DISCLOSURE: Marie-Andrée Binet is funded by a scholarship from the Canada Institutes of Health
Research. All phases of this study were supported by an establishment grant from the Fonds de Recherche
du Québec – Société et Culture : Action Concertée.
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#61
Patterns of Multilingual Media Exposure in the Home:
From the Child’s Perspective
BOOTH, MCCALL1
BACKGROUND: Currently, little is known about how parents might specically engage parental mediation
strategies in an effort to aid in their child’s ethnic-racial identity development. Specically, there is a need
for further research on how ethno-linguistically salient media might be mediated differently in multilingual
homes. Potentially, parents may employ active efforts to discuss and co-view culturally relevant media
in an effort to bolster their child’s ethnic-racial identity, or they may try to limit their child’s exposure to
stereotyped media that may harm their child’s esteem. Whether consciously or subconsciously, parents may
gravitate toward co-viewing and introducing media that is in their heritage language in an effort to further
enhance their familial ties to their heritage culture. However, it is important to understand the ways in which
parents and children may differ in their estimation of multilingual media when examining this facet of
parental mediation. Thus, the present study used qualitative inquiry to examine child perceptions of media
habits in the multilingual home.
METHODS: Participants were gathered using an online research panel service, and in addition to the study
receiving IRB approval from the university’s internal review board, survey questions were vetted by the
panel service’s legal team to ensure questions asked to children adhered to regulations. Inclusion criteria for
the initial panel offer included that (a) the adult participant must speak a language in addition to English and
(b) they must have a child between the ages of 8-17. Child participants were asked questions about attitudes
both they and their parent held about multilingual media (i.e. “How does your parent feel about media in a
different language?”).
RESULTS: There were three main themes that were crafted from the data: (a) Connection vs. Individual
Expression (sub-themes: Individual Viewing Patterns and Cultural Connection), (b) Education (sub-themes:
Cultural Education and Promoting Fluency), and (c) Content Over Language. The rst theme centered on
differences in parent and child preferences for media languages, as well as how media language was a direct
tool for enhancing one’s familial heritage culture. The second theme highlighted multilingual media use as a
tool for cultural education and as a means for increasing cultural language uency. The third theme identied
how individual preference and differences between family member viewing patterns was driven more by the
appeal of the media content, rather than the language of the media in question.
IMPLICATIONS: As shown by the thematic analysis conducted on the survey data, there are several
patterns of parent and child attitudes; some families are more unied in their media preferences, while others
have individual inclinations that might result in independent media consumption. Cultural and linguistic
education are large motivators for family media selections, and future work ought to further explore how
these motivations for parental mediation of multilingual media contribute to other facets of child identity
development.
COI DISCLOSURE: No conicts of interest, funded by internal university grant for Ph.D. students.
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#62
Optimizing Screen Time with Digital Picture Books
BUS, ADRIANA1, SARI UĞURLU, B.2, BROEKHOF, K.3
BACKGROUND: Access to picture books is essential for preschoolers. Children raised in homes with
numerous books gain the equivalent of three additional years of schooling compared to those from homes
without books (e.g., Evans et al., 2010). To address the lack of access to books in many families across
Europe, the European Union (Erasmus+) is funding the Stimulating Adventures for Young Learners (SAYL)
project. This Norwegian initiative aims to make screen time more productive for young children by providing
a digital platform that offers free access to picture books with voice-overs in multiple languages. Refugee
and immigrant families, in particular, are expected to benet. After two years of development, a rst draft
of the platform—including ten picture books available in ten languages, including Ukrainian and Arabic—is
now accessible on most common devices. The project aims to assess, in its third year, whether the platform
can effectively increase families’ access to books and transform children’s screen time into meaningful book-
reading experiences.
METHODS: In close collaboration with experts from ve participating countries and an app designer, we
developed a book format over the past two years that appears most promising for the target audience. Pilot
studies highlighted the importance of designing books that children can use independently, as adult guidance
is not always available. Key elements requiring attention included the quality of multimedia enhancements
and voice-overs. During the third project year, the books will be made accessible to families with limited
book-reading experiences. In the Netherlands and Türkiye, we have already identied approximately 200
families through preschools or kindergartens with high numbers of immigrant and refugee families. In
January 2025, we will provide these families access to the platform via a link. During the initial login,
parents will be asked to provide consent for the automatic registration of their platform usage, including:
frequency of return visits, books accessed per session, duration of each session, language preferences, and
other descriptive metrics. The research is coordinated by the University of Stavanger, and the Norwegian
Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research (Sikt) has assessed and approved the data collection
procedures.
RESULTS: In addition to describing the books’ features that proved most helpful, we will report on their
usage. Starting in March, after two months of free access, we will analyse the collected data and compare
usage across countries. By summer, we will provide a detailed report on the number of invited families using
the platform and the intensity of their engagement.
IMPLICATIONS: Given the strong appeal of digital media to young children, this project aims to
demonstrate that free access to a platform with high-quality digital picture books can foster book-reading
experiences in families where such experiences are often absent.
COI DISCLOSURE: The project is funded by Erasmus+ (ID KA220-SCH-955D3D99).
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#63
Step it Out, Wombats! PBS KIDS Resources
Promote Sequencing Skills in Young Children
CHRISTENSEN, CLAIRE 1,RELKIN, EMILY2, TERRELL, EMMA1, SILANDER, MEGAN2, GERARD, SARAH1,
KOOK, JANNA2, GARDNER, SHARI1, VIDIKSIS, REGAN2, GAYLOR, ERIKA1, HUPERT, NAOMI2
BACKGROUND: Computational thinking (CT) is an approach to problem-solving derived from computer
science. CT skills include sequencing, algorithmic thinking, problem decomposition, debugging, and using
the design process. CT interventions in early childhood can support learning beyond computer science
including problem-solving, executive function, and social-emotional learning, as well as future pathways
in STEM and computer science (Bers et al., 2022; Burchinal et al., 2022; Madill et al., 2007). Educational
media offer opportunities to engage more children in CT. However, little is known about whether
educational media can promote CT in young children. Work It Out Wombats! (Wombats) is a PBS KIDS
series promoting CT skills and problem solving, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s 2020-2025
Ready to Learn program. We conducted an 8-week randomized controlled trial on the impact of access
to Wombats videos and games on CT and related skills. This study is the rst to examine the impact of
digital media on CT in early childhood. Research Question: Does providing 8 weeks of access to Wombats
resources improve the following skills among 4- and 5-year-olds in low-income households:
• computational thinking
• problem-solving
• social-emotional learning,
• ability to use the design process to solve problems, and/or
• sequencing?
METHODS: Participants were 458 children, ages 4-5, from low-income households across the US..
Researchers randomized children to a treatment or control condition, and gave all participants a data-enabled
tablet. We instructed the control group to use educational media of their choosing, and the treatment group
to use Wombats resources via an app on the tablet. Pre-test measures included STEM+C, a direct assessment
of CT skills (Dominguez et al., 2022); MEFS, a direct assessment of executive function (Carlson & Zelazo,
2017); and PROMIS EC, a parent-report survey of children’s SEL skills (Blackwell et al., 2022). Post-test
measures included STEM+C; PROMIS EC, a picture problem-solving task (Fusaro & Smith, 2018); and
researcher-developed measures of sequencing and design process.
RESULTS: We found signicant positive effects of Wombats access on children’s sequencing skills (p =
.03, g = .22), but no impact on broader CT skills (STEM+C: p = .34, g = .01), problem-solving skills (picture
problem-solving : p = .44, g = .06; design process : p = .61, g = .01), or SEL skills (PROMIS EC persistence,
p = .84, g = .15; frustration tolerance: p = .55, g = -.09; exibility: p = .76, g =.18).
IMPLICATIONS: This study is the rst to demonstrate that children can learn sequencing skills from
educational media. Although the effect size is modest, it is notable for an 8-week, light-touch intervention.
Future research should explore narrower, near-transfer measures of CT skills to better understand the CT-
media connections, and should incorporate resources to encourage caregiver-child interactions to support CT
learning.
COI DISCLOSURE: This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Ready To Learn Initiative
(U.S. Department of Education Award No. U295A150003, CFDA No. 84.295A), in collaboration with CPB-
PBS. The contents of this research report were developed under a grant from the Department of Education
but do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education. One should not assume
endorsement by the Federal Government. Dr. Christensen has a patent pending for technology to detect
educational content in online videos. This work has no relationship to the proposed presentation.
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#64
YouTube’s ABCs and 123s: Describing the
Quality of Early Literacy and Math Videos on YouTube
CHRISTENSEN, CLAIRE1, CINCEBEAUX, MADELINE1
BACKGROUND: We know little about the educational value of the videos young children watch online.
Young children spend more time watching videos on sites like YouTube than on any other platform (Rideout
& Robb, 2020). Research shows that children can learn math and literacy skills from high-quality educational
videos (Hurwitz, 2019; Silander et al., 2016). However, little is known about the quality of educational videos
available to children online. To address this gap, this paper describes a sample of YouTube videos on early
literacy and mathematics topics, in terms of four quality indicators:
• Includes concrete examples: Familiar objects or examples illustrate the learning content.
• Directly addresses the audience: The viewer is asked to engage in the learning content.
• Involves characters: An onscreen character is involved in the learning content.
• Integrates math content into narrative. Math content is integral to resolving a video’s narrative.
(This code was not present in literacy videos.)
Research Question: How prevalent are educational quality indicators in a sample of early literacy and math
videos on YouTube?
METHODS: We screened for videos on prekindergarten and kindergarten literacy and math topics, as
dened by the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework and Common Core State Standards. The
nal sample included 648 literacy videos and 550 math videos. Three trained research assistants coded each
video for math and literacy content categories and quality indicators.
RESULTS: We measured the prevalence of each quality indicator in this sample:
• Includes concrete examples: 72% for literacy, 81% for math
• Directly addresses the audience: 40% for literacy, 51% for math
• Involves characters: 46% for literacy, 43% for math
• Integrates math content into narrative: 7% for math
84% of the videos in this sample were primarily educational and included at least one of the above quality
indicators.
IMPLICATIONS: It is encouraging that most of the educational videos in our sample were intended to teach
and included at least one quality indicator. Because video is a visual medium, it makes sense that most
videos included concrete examples, such as apples for the letter A. That fewer than half of videos include
characters in the learning content, and that very few videos incorporate learning content into a narrative, is
surprising and may represent a signicant departure from educational television. For parents: Whereas most
educational television programs include narratives and characters, fewer online educational videos do. There
is more rigorous evidence for the learning benets of high-quality educational television programs than for
educational online videos. For content creators: Educational content creators can distinguish themselves
in this crowded eld by weaving educational content into narratives with relatable characters. For future
research: To what extent does the inclusion of narratives and characters inuence children’s learning from
educational online videos?
COI DISCLOSURE: This study is part of a broader initiative to detect the presence and quality of
educational content in online videos using machine learning (National Science Foundation Award No.
2139219). This study was funded in part by SRI internal research and development funds. Claire Christensen
is named on a patent pending for the technology developed through this work.
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#65
Caregivers’ Content, Teens’ Consent:
Social Media Risks and Rewards
COOK, LAUREL AYNNE1, GAVRIL, AMY2
BACKGROUND: Sharenting, the phenomenon that describes parents who share their children through social
media, has average engagement rates that substantially increase when content features a child (Stormer et
al., 2024). The current project began with a partnership of teens. The primary focus of these partnerships
included identifying and describing the most common forms of social media risk to teens (i.e., exposed
directly and/or through sharenting activities). Co-created impact is demonstrated through advocacy,
interventions, and best practices, highlighted in the creation of a local (WV) teen advisory board (TAB;
Study 1), a cross-sectional survey of teens from Virginia (Study 2), and a national study of parents and
caregivers of teens (Study 3).
METHODS: The perspectives of teens regarding their experiences online are less common but warrant
prioritization. Research questions are typically viewed through adult-framed lenses, yet teens are uniquely
positioned to offer articulate and meaningful insights. They were included here in two ways: (1) as a TAB
(S1) and (2) as a separate group of research participants in a cross-sectional study (S2). Finally, a study of
parents and caregivers of teens in the U.S. (n = 364) was conducted to study the efcacy of social media
labels. They were asked about the likelihood to (A) discuss social media usage and (B) reduce their child’s
screen time after a warning was provided within a social media app, within the phone’s parental controls,
as provided by the child’s pediatrician, by the child’s school, or through online parenting resources (versus a
control; S3).
RESULTS: S1 discussed consent in parents’ sharenting activities, teens strongly disagreed with sharenting
on public (vs. private) social media channels (t = 4.36, p <.001, d = .85). With 34.4% of the sample suggesting
a consent age of 13 (25% in favor of ages 12 or 14), teens do not believe parents’ rights outweigh their own
(t = 6.99, p <.001, d = .89). S2 results showed favorable behavioral intentions from parents- especially when
such information was offered by a physician. When they communicated a social media warning, discussions
and screen time were signicantly affected. A simple message about the harmful relationship between social
media use- described by parents as an average of 94 minutes of their teen’s day, and mental health was
enough to increase household discussions and reduce screen time.
IMPLICATIONS: Digital well-being and social media best practices, described by teens (S1, S2) and echoed
by parents and caregivers (S3) offer the following implications.
• Individual-level responsibility (Responsible use includes posting/sharing content and including teens’
consent, when possible.)
• Household-level responsibility (Parents should know about a child’s online activities and encourage
responsible internet use.)
• Measurable outcomes (Favorable outcomes include limited screentime, positive online interactions,
critical thinking, triple validating information, digital literacy, and creativity.)
• Balance (A healthy balance between time spent online with time spent ofine.)
COI DISCLOSURE: Funding support comes from the Association for Consumer Research and the
Transformative Consumer Research donors.
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#66
Background Screen Exposure at Age 3.5 is
Associated With Worse Problem-Solving Skills at 4.5 Years
CRISTINI, E.1, LAURENT, A.1, SEBBEN, S.2, CORDEIRO SANTOS, G.3, GILBERT, N., FITZPATRICK, C.1,5
BACKGROUND: 39% of families report that the TV is always on or most of the time (Rideout et Robb,
2020). Research has indicated that background exposure can disrupt interaction with parents (Pempek et
al., 2014) and the quality of child playtime which are two key mechanisms of early development (Setliff
& Courage, 2011). Indeed, research has found that more frequent exposure to background media may
undermine the development of executive functions and language skills (Ribner et al., 2021; Nichols, 2022).
However, less is known about how exposure to background media may contribute to other cognitive skills
such as problem-solving skills. This study investigates the relationship between background media exposure
at 3.5 years and problem-solving skills at 4.5 years. We hypothesize that higher levels of background media
exposure at 3.5 years will be associated with lower problem-solving skills at 4.5 years.
METHODS: 315 Canadian parents of preschoolers reported how often a screen was left on without anyone
looking at it (Media assessment questionnaire, Barr et al., 2020) when their child was 3.5 years old. From
these responses, 3 background media exposure groups were created: (1) Never or rarely exposed (N=101);
(2) Occasionally exposed (N=113; (3) Routinely exposed (N=101). They also completed the problem-solving
task subscale of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, 3rd edition (Squires et al., 2009). The Ages and Stages
Questionnaire has been validated for preschool-aged children. Control variables include baseline child
effortful control at age 3.5, sex at birth, and parent education. Our analysis plan is to use linear regression to
estimate the association between child background media exposure at age 3.5 and problem-solving skills at
age 4.5, adjusting for control variables.
RESULTS: Regression results indicated that routine exposure to background media was associated with
lower child problem-solving scores one year later (B = -3.462; p = .003) compared to children were never or
rarely exposed. There were no other signicant group differences. Child sex at birth (B = 2,454; p = .008),
and effortful control at 3.5 (B = 1.932; p = < .001) also predicted child problem-solving skills. To account for
missing data, we conducted analyses using multiple imputations in SPSS.
IMPLICATIONS: The present study suggest that children who grow up in households in which they are
frequently exposed to background media may face more risks in their early cognitive development, with
regards to problem solving skills. As such, the present research expands the potential risks associated with
preschool-aged children’s exposure to background media. Raising awareness of the effects of background
media exposure on young children’s development may enhance intervention aiming to promote healthy
media habits in families.
COI DISCLOSURE: All phases of this study were supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of
Health Research (474993-2022), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (CRC-2021-00009)
and Research Nova Scotia (2061-2019).
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#67
High Levels of Early Childhood Exposure to Background Media
are Associated With Decreased Eortful Control by Age 5
CRISTINI, E.1, LAURENT, A.1, DAYAN TABARES VELASQUEZ, C.2,
LEROUX-MAURAIS, D.1, FITZPATRICK, C.1,3
BACKGROUND: Child effortful control refers to the ability to effectively manage attention and behavior
(Potmesilova & Potmesil, 2021). A child’s early experiences and environment, including screen exposure are
likely to play a signicant role in shaping effortful control (Fitzpatrick et al., 2022). Research has indicated
that background media exposure may hinder the development of executive functions and language skills.
However, there has been limited research on the link between early childhood exposure to background
media and the development of effortful control skills. This study seeks to investigate the relationship
between background media exposure at 3.5 years and effortful control at 5.5 years, controlling for potential
confounders. We hypothesize that more frequent exposure to background media at 3.5 years will be
associated with lower effortful control at 5.5 years.
METHODS: Data are from a sample of 315 Canadian parents of preschoolers assessed at 3.5 (2020) and
5.5 years old (2022). Parents reported how often a screen was left on without anyone looking at it (Media
assessment questionnaire, Barr et al., 2020). Responses were classied as: (1) Never; (2) Almost never; (3)
Sometimes; (4) Almost always; and (5) Always. From these responses, 3 background media exposure groups
were created: (1) Never or rarely exposed; (2) Occasionally exposed; (3) Routinely exposed. Effortful control
was measured using the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire, reported by parents (Putnam & Rothbart, 2006).
Items reect attentional focus and inhibitory control (ex. the Child can wait before entering new activities
if she/he is asked to). Parents rated responses from 1 (extremely untrue of your child) to 7 (extremely true
of your child). Control variables include baseline child effortful control at age 3.5, sex at birth, and parent
education. Our analysis plan is to use multivariate linear regression to estimate the association between child
background media exposure at age 3.5 and effortful control at age 5.5, adjusting for control variables.
RESULTS: Analyses revealed that children routinely exposed to background media had signicantly lower
effortful control scores at the age of 5.5 than children who were never or rarely exposed. There were no
other signicant differences between the background media exposure groups. Among the control variables,
baseline child effortful control, and high level of parental education were predictors of later effortful control.
To account for missing data, we conducted analyses using multiple imputations in SPSS.
IMPLICATIONS: As children enter school, the ability to control behavior and attention become key
determinants of school readiness (Williams et al., 2019). These results suggest that background media
exposure, a common household practice, may be disruptive to early childhood development of effortful
control.
COI DISCLOSURE: All phases of this study were supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of
Health Research (474993-2022), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (CRC- 2021-00009)
and Research Nova Scotia (2016-2019).
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#68
Beyond the Limits: The Impact of Parental
Mediation on Filipino School-Age Children’s Screen Time
CAPULONG, ANNALYN DE GUZMAN1
BACKGROUND: Digital technology has become a more integral part of the daily lives of children and
families compared to a decade ago (APS, 2015). The dramatic increase in children’s media exposure has
raised issues on its possible negative effects on children’s development (Lauricella et al., 2017). Consequently,
parents use mediation strategies to mitigate these potential negative effects (e.g., Capulong & Clemente,
2023). Parental mediation and its impact on children’s screen time has not been explored in the Philippine
setting, highlighting the need to explore the said topic. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the
impact on parental mediation on school-age children’s screen time.
METHODS: This study employed a quantitative research design. Participants were 118 Filipino parents,
with children ages 7-12 years. The respondents answered an online questionnaire about their children’s
screen time and the mediation strategies they use to monitor their children’s media use. As context, data
collection was conducted in November 2022 to March 2023, during the time of post-pandemic transition in
the Philippines.
RESULTS: Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression. Results
revealed that children’s average daily screen time, for online classes and leisure combined, was a staggering
8 hours and 38 minutes. Note that extreme screen times in the data were retained and viewed as a reection
of the natural and actual variances in the real-life setting. Child’s age was signicantly and positively
correlated with screen time but not with any of the parental mediation strategies. Restrictive mediation
was the only strategy found to be signicantly correlated with children’s screen time (i.e., use of restrictive
mediation is associated with lower screen time). Interestingly, this result contradicts the results of some
western studies which state that restrictive mediation is commonly used for very young children (e.g.,
Pempek & Lauricella, 2017). Coming from a collectivist culture where obedience to parents is important, it
seems that Filipino parents effectively use restrictive mediation even for their older school-age children. The
effects of online class and leisure screen times, separately, on parental mediation were also analyzed. Results
revealed that leisure screen time was signicantly correlated to restrictive and diversionary mediations
(i.e., the use of such strategies are associated with reduced screen time). Lastly, multiple regression analysis
revealed that child’s age and restrictive mediation can predict child’s screen time.
IMPLICATIONS: This research highlights the crucial role of parents in regulating children’s digital media
use and the need to employ more than one parental mediation strategies. It is also imperative to consider
cultural contexts on how mediation strategies are practiced. Mediation strategies are just one of the many
ways to empower parents as they face the challenge of monitoring their children’s digital media use in this
digitized society.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Capulong reports a grant, particularly the PhD Incentive Award Grant, from the
University of the Philippines Diliman Ofce of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development during
the conduct of the research to be presented.
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#69
Parent-Youth Tension Regarding Technology
Usage in a Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis Sample
EALES, LAUREN1, DENENNY, DANIELLE M.1, O’BRIEN, MARY P.2,
ZINBERG, JAMIE L.1, BEARDEN, CARRIE E.1, MIKLOWITZ, DAVID J.1
BACKGROUND: Family conict can affect the courses of psychosis-risk syndromes and schizophrenia
(O’Brien et al., 2009; Schlosser et al., 2010). Sixteen percent of adolescents/young adults who are at clinical
high-risk (CHR) for psychosis are estimated to convert to a psychosis syndrome within two years (Cannon
et al., 2016). CHR individuals spend more time online than healthy controls (Mittal et al., 2007; Pelletier-
Baldelli et al., 2015), but family conict related to adolescent screen use is understudied in adolescents
with CHR. Given the evidence of higher technology use in this population, it is likely that families are
experiencing more tension regarding this subject. The purpose of this study was to a) assess the level
of parent-adolescent/young adult conict related to technology vs. other domains and b) examine cross-
sectional associations between these conicts and negative and positive psychosis symptoms.
METHODS: Participants (N=211; 44.5% female, 40.7% male, 14% other gender; 54.2% White/European,
23.8% Multiracial) with CHR were recruited via seven sites (in the U.S. and Canada) for a randomized
clinical trial of family-focused therapy for CHR youth. Participant age ranged from 12 to 26 years (M=16.35,
SD=2.75). Participants and their parents reported on the participants’ positive psychosis symptoms (Scale
of Psychosis Risk Symptoms; McGlashan et al., 2010), negative symptoms (Negative Symptom Inventory–
Psychosis Risk; Strauss et al., 2020), and level of tension in the family on 18 topics (from 1-5), including
“screen time” and “phone use or texting” (O’Brien et al., 2009). Mean scores were created for mother-,
father-, and participant-reported “technology” tension (phone and screen time items) and, separately, for all
other topics.
RESULTS: Forty-four percent of mothers, 35% of fathers, and 29.8% of participants reported “moderate” or
higher tension on use of technology (score ≥ 3). There were no gender or race differences between tension
ratings. Paired two-sided t-tests indicated mothers (N=162) and fathers (N=108) reported signicantly higher
tension regarding use of technology compared to other topics on average (mothers: 2.54 vs. 2.13, p<.001;
fathers: 2.32 vs. 2.11, p<.05). On average, mothers rated “screen time” the fourth and “phone use” the fth
most tension-inducing topic (chores were highest). CHR participants did not report a difference in tension
regarding technology vs. other topics. In an ANCOVA (covarying with age), tension over technology was
unrelated to negative or positive symptoms.
IMPLICATIONS: These results indicate that technology is a source of tension for families with CHR
individuals – more than many other domains of family life. These ndings are comparable to results with
parents of healthy adolescents, where 37% of parents reported that negotiating media use causes conicts
(Lauricella et al., 2016). Given the importance of family functioning and conict resolution for CHR
individuals, incorporating family strategies regarding use of technology may be an important addition to
family intervention models.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Eales reports fellowship funding from the NIMH during the conduct of the research
to be presented. The study was funded through the NIMH (NIMH grant R01MH123575) awarded to Drs.
Miklowitz and Bearden.
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#70
Beyond Resources:
Building Connection and Community Supports for Digital Health
ETTA, ROXANNE1, BLOCKER, KATE1, SCHAEFER SNYDER, CELESTE1,
MORGEN, PAULA2, RATZBURG, TRACEY2, WASHBUSH, AMY3, WELLS, ALEX3
BACKGROUND: Concern about the effects of digital media on child development and family well-being
has grown among parents and stakeholders across a variety of sectors. These concerns are warranted,
as evidence suggests digital media poses risks to the mental health and well-being of children and youth
(American Psychological Association, 2023). While more research is needed, the U.S. Surgeon General has
called for urgent action to support families in navigating digital and social media (Ofce of the Surgeon
General, 2023). This initiative, developed through a partnership between Children and Screens: Institute
of Digital Media and Child Development and ThedaCare, aims to address these challenges by identifying
community needs and gaps in current resources and support. This study employed a two-pronged approach:
(1) focus groups with parents, youth, and local stakeholders in Northeastern Wisconsin, and (2) a content
analysis of existing digital well-being resources, with the goal of informing a scalable, integrated model that
bridges research and practical support for families through a community-based approach.
METHODS: Seventeen focus groups consisted of parents (n=26), youth ages 11–17 (n=20), and professionals
from ve key sectors: healthcare (n=8), education (n=9), government (n=9), faith-based groups (n=5),
and community organizations (n=11). Transcripts were analyzed thematically using a grounded theory
approach to identify concerns, beliefs,concepts for future resource development, and areas where targeted
interventions could be most effective. In parallel, we conducted a content analysis of 134 publicly available
digital well-being resources, coded for audience, format, content quality, accessibility, stakeholder
involvement, and practical relevance.
RESULTS: Five key themes emerged from the focus groups: 1. Adults are concerned and overwhelmed
by screen use but lack clear, trusted guidance. 2. Teens are not particularly concerned but they want adults
to trust them and model healthy media behaviors. 3. Families and professionals want meaningful, screen-
free alternatives that feel feasible in everyday life. 4. There is strong demand for a simple, evidence-based,
trusted go-to resource to help navigate digital challenges for children of all ages. 5. Families want more than
just educational resources; they are looking for ongoing community connection, shared accountability, and
real-world reinforcement to help make change feel possible and sustainable. The resource content analysis
reinforced these ndings, revealing that while many resources exist, they often lack accessible and evidence-
based information, real-world application, and guidance for young children.
IMPLICATIONS: To support healthier digital habits among children and families, strategies must go
beyond isolated tools or messages. This community-based approach points toward a layered, systems-
informed model that weaves together evidence-based resources, social connection within communities, and
professional guidance. Findings underscore the importance of embedding support within trusted community
touchpoints, building consistency across sectors, and responding to the realities of families today.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was funded by ThedaCare, a nonprot healthcare system in Wisconsin.
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#71
Associations Between Parental Mental Health
and Wellbeing and Preschool-aged Children’s
Screen Use in a Low-Income Urban Brazilian Sample
CORDEIRO, GUILHERME1, FITZPATRICK, CAROLINE2, ALVARENGA, PATRÍCIA1, CRISTINI, EMMA2
BACKGROUND: Vulnerable families face more challenges in parenting than higher-income families due
to their more frequent exposure to adverse life events and more limited access to education, information,
and resources (Pujihasvuty et al., 2024). These challenges can reduce parental personal resources including
well-being and mental health and may increase harsh parenting and diminish parent emotional availability
for quality parent-child interaction (Goodman et al., 2020; Lovejoy et al., 2000). Research shows that
parent mental health and well-being positively correlate with sensitive and assertive parenting practices
that promote child development (Richter et al., 2018; Song et al., 2019). Using screens to calm, entertain, or
distract children can become a recurrent strategy when parents face higher levels of adversity (Radó et al.,
2024). Furthermore, children facing higher levels of socioeconomic adversity spend more time in front of
screens and may be more vulnerable to its negative consequences (Kroshus et al., 2022; Ribner et al., 2018).
The objective or our study is to describe the associations between parent mental health and well-being,
parenting practices and child screen use in low-income Brazilian families.
METHODS: Participants were one hundred and nine parents (96 mothers) with a high school degree or lower
educational attainment, with children aged 3 to 6 years were recruited in early childhood centers and through
social media (N=109). Through a video call, participants reported their subjective well-being (PANAS and
LSS scales), mental health (DASS-21 scales), and parenting practices (PAFAS scale). Child screen use was
measured using an adapted version of the ScreenQ (Hutton et al., 2023), which provides an index score
of risky patterns of child screen use based on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations
surrounding screen time, screen contents, and contexts of use.
RESULTS: Inconsistent parenting was positively correlated with parental anxiety (r=0.27; p<0.01),
depression (r=0.28; p<0.01), stress (r=0.29; p<0.01), and negative affect (r=0.29; p<0.01). Higher levels of
inconsistent parenting were positively correlated with riskier child screen use as measured by scores on the
ScreenQ (r=0.36; p<0.01); as well as behavior difculties (r=0.26; p<0.01), conduct problems (r=0.17; p<0.01)
and hyperactivity (r=0.23; p<0.01) in the child’s behavior.
IMPLICATIONS: The moderate correlations observed in this exploratory analysis suggest that parental
emotional difculties could reduce the quality of parenting practices aimed at regulating child behavior.
Specically, inconsistent parenting, characterized by uctuations in discipline, depending on parental mood
or the child persuasion, may represent a strong indicator of parental inability to implement healthy child
screen use habits. Our preliminary results may shed light on how parents who face mental health challenges
and high levels of socioeconomic adversity manage child screen habits. These results may contribute to the
development of preventive intervention planning aimed at vulnerable Brazilian populations.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare that there is no conict of interest. This study received approval
from the ethics review board of all participating institutions, and all participants signed a written informed
consent before completing the survey.
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#72
From Stories to STEM:
Using AI to Co-Create Culturally Relevant Science Narratives
GASTÓN-PANTHAKI, ARIA1, SANCHEZ, GIOVANNI1, VELEZ NEGRON, HE, KUNLEI1, VIVIANA2, GOMEZ,
WENDY3, XU, YING4, SATTERFIELD, TERESA2, WARSCHAUER, MARK1, BUSTAMANTE, ANDRES1
BACKGROUND: Science learning is inherently a cultural process (Ladson-Billings, 2014), yet the common
practice of cultural neutrality often reinforces White cultural dominance, further marginalizing learners
from underrepresented backgrounds. In California, Latine children experience less exposure to science
(Bohlmann & Palacios, 2023; Wonch Hill et al., 2018), contributing to underrepresentation in STEM
elds. Culturally responsive books can make science more relatable and encourage Latine children to view
themselves as active participants in science (Bermudez et al., 2023; Boyce, 2010; Hammer & Sawyer, 2016).
The study aimed to co-design 12 Spanish-English bilingual science narrative e-books, leveraging generative
AI tools to create concept art and rst story drafts to ensure the nal products reect nuanced and authentic
Latine family input. Participants were introduced to AI literacy, empowering them to create culturally
resonant stories, characters, and settings using AI. This helps families control narratives in children’s books
while learning AI literacy skills. As AI becomes part of daily life, parents from marginalized backgrounds
benet from these skills to navigate it with their children. AI raises inclusivity concerns for families of
diverse ethnicities, structures, technological literacy, and socioeconomic statuses (Ammari et al., 2019).
Algorithmic fairness is also an issue, as AI can perpetuate biases (Angwin et al., 2016; Buolamwini &
Gebru, 2018), making literacy essential for equitable use . Participants were introduced to AI literacy,
empowering them to create culturally resonant stories and characters. This helps families control narratives
in children’s books while learning AI literacy, which is essential for equitable use, especially as AI affects
families of diverse backgrounds (Ammari et al., 2019; Angwin et al., 2016; Buolamwini & Gebru, 2018).
METHODS: This project was done in collaboration with the Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative (SAELI),
a community organization based in a Latine community in Orange County, California. The AI Literacy
curriculum was based on Digital Promise’s AI literacy framework (Lee et al., 2024) and met with AI experts
to craft our curriculum. SAELI recruited Spanish-speaking Latine families to participate in three 2-hour co-
design sessions to introduce AI and create AI images that will serve as concept art for the books. Sessions
featured discussions with parents and children on storytelling traditions and AI-assisted narrative creation.
After the session, we debriefed with families to receive their feedback on how we could improve the way we
introduce AI to Latine families. All interactions were audio-recorded and transcribed.
RESULTS: Initial thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) of co-design session transcripts revealed key
patterns: (1) AI Prior Knowledge and Beliefs — Parents not know about AI and wanting to learn more,
but not knowing where to learn from; (2) Creating Imagative Worlds — Latine families took the AI image
generation tasks to create safe worlds unlike their own now; and (3) Visiting the Past — parents decided to
use AI to recreate things from their childhood in other countries.
IMPLICATIONS: When a new technology emerges, it is always said to be the great equalizer. But AI will
not be that great equalizer unless we take the time to properly educate all communities on how to be critical
AI users. This study allowed us to introduce AI to parents who had not used it giving them the tools to uplift
what they want to tell. AI can be harmful to marginalized communities and that is why AI tools should
enable community co-creation and feedback loops to create equity in AI use.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under
Grant No. 2415882. None of the authors have any nancial interest or gain in the research project.
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#73
Digital Media Use Among School-Aged Dual Language
Learners in Chinese American Families: Links to
Socioecological Factors and Children’s Oral Language Proficiencies
HUANG, ZILING1, GYS, CHRISTOPHER L.1, UCHIKOSHI, YUUKO2, ZHOU, QING1
BACKGROUND: Past research on elementary school-aged children’s digital media use is limited by a
focus on White upper-socioeconomic status families and measures of general screen time. Relatively little
is known about the different types of digital activities (e.g., social vs. educational) Chinese American (CA)
children from low-income families engage in. Moreover, CA families typically consume both Chinese- and
English-language digital media, but little is known about what household and individual factors predict
children’s digital media use in each language.
METHODS: The present study’s sample consisted of 120 children (age range = 4.91 to 9.71 years, 42% girls)
from low-income CA families. Parents reported on demographic factors, children’s daily time engaging in
different digital activities (entertainment videos, educational, social, gaming), and languages used during
digital activities (only Chinese, only English, both languages). Children’s oral Chinese language (Mandarin/
Cantonese) and English prociencies were z-scored composites of standardized behavioral assessments of
expressive (WJPV) and receptive (WJOC) prociencies.
RESULTS: Aim 1 (exploratory) was to characterize CA children’s time per day using different types of
digital media. Parents reported their children spent the most time watching entertainment videos (M = 2.11
hours), followed by gaming (M = 0.87 hours), educational (M = 0.78 hours), and social use (M = 0.26 hours).
Aim 2 (conrmatory) was to examine concurrent associations between household factors and daily time
across digital media activities with path analyses. Different patterns emerged by activity type, partially
consistent with hypotheses. Older children spent more time on educational media (B = 0.37, p < .05).
Children with U.S.-born (vs. foreign-born) parents were U.S.-born vs. foreign-born (B = 2.06, p < 0.01) and
those from lower SES families (B = 0.26, p < .05) spent more time on gaming media. Girls spent more time
than boys on social media (B = 0.28, p < .05). Aim 3 (conrmatory) was to examine longitudinal relations
between children’s Chinese and English language prociencies and their digital media language use one
year later using path analyses. Contrary to hypotheses, children’s English and Chinese prociencies did not
predict their daily time using Chinese- or English-language digital media. Children whose parents were U.S.-
born (vs. foreign-born) spent more daily time on English (B = 5.90, p < .05) and older children spent more
time on Chinese (B = 0.22, p < .05) digital media.
IMPLICATIONS: Results highlighted the heterogeneity in Chinese-English DLLs’ DMU time separated by
content and language and its differential relations to socioecological factors.
COI DISLCOSURE: This study was part of a larger research project funded by the NIH/NICHD
(R01HD091154). The presenting author received funding from the National Science Foundation Graduate
Research Fellowship Program.
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#74
International Public Opinion on
Digital Media Use for Youth and Schools
HALE, LAUREN, PHD1, CHRISTAKIS, DIMITRI A., MD, MPH2,
MATHEW, GINA MARIE, PHD1, RODRIGUEZ, ISAAC R., MSW1, ALJEDAWI, YASMIN3,
THOMAS, JUSTIN3, AHMED, SYED ISHTIAQUE4, ALVI, SOHAILUL5, RASHID, MAMUNUR3
BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding global attitudes about the role of digital technologies in
children’s lives.
METHODS: We characterized public opinion across 35 countries (n=35,018, ~1000/country) using 2023
survey data concerning three areas of interest: youth device ownership, smartphones in schools, and comfort
with an AI teacher (see https://sync.ithra.com/research). The questions were (1) “Is it appropriate for an under
18 child to have their own phone?” [yes/no], (2) “Schools should prevent all children from having access to
their phones during school time,” and (3) “I would let my child be taught by an AI-generated schoolteacher,”
respectively. The last two questions had answer options of “Strongly disagree,” “somewhat disagree,”
“somewhat agree,” “strongly agree,” and “don’t know.” We reviewed overall country-level responses and
examined whether responses varied by parental status, age, and gender.
RESULTS: The overall sample was 52.2% male, 50.5% college graduate, and 47.6% employed full time.
The sample ranged in age from 18-99 (mean=38 years old); 18.7% of respondents were between ages 18-
24 years, and 8.0% were age ≥65 years. Unadjusted analyses showed that across all countries, 68% of
respondents agreed that it is appropriate for an under 18-year-old child to have their own device. Bangladesh
had the lowest agreement (27.4%) and Estonia had the highest agreement (92.9%). The U.S. had 71.1% of
participants in agreement. Parents (71.7% of parents vs. 63.0% of non-parents) were more likely to agree.
Over three-quarters of respondents (75.9%) agreed with preventing smartphone access during school time.
Agreements across countries ranged from South Korea (45.0%) to France (89.0%). In the U.S., 67.2% of
respondents agreed with the statement. Parents and older (≥65-year-old) respondents were more likely to
support the statement (79.7% of parents vs. 71.3 non-parents; 85.1% of ≥65 year-olds vs 64.5% of <25-year-
olds). Worldwide, nearly half of survey respondents (46.7%) agreed with the statement that they would let
an AI-generated schoolteacher teach their child. The range of support for this statement varied from 20.4%
in the United Kingdom to 75.9% in Egypt (see Figure 3). Among US respondents, only 24.8% agreed.
Parents (48.9% vs. 43.8% for non-parents), younger respondents (49.4% among 18-54-year-olds vs. 27.8% of
≥65-year-olds), and males (51.4% vs. 41.5% among females) were more likely to agree with this statement.
IMPLICATIONS: These novel survey data provide worldwide information on beliefs about youth digital
media use. The majority of respondents worldwide supported ownership of phones for youth being
appropriate (68%) but not access during the school day (76%). Wider variation in opinion existed regarding
comfort with an AI-generated teacher.
COI DISCLOSURE: The ITHRA Sync Digital Wellbeing Program and data collection. is supported
by Aramco. There is no direct support for this analysis. DAC is Editor-in-Chief of JAMA Pediatrics,
Chief Science Ofcer of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, and a
consultant to Kiwi Crate. DAC is also serving as an expert witness in ongoing litigation against social media
companies. DAC, GMM, IRR, and LH received a small honorarium from the National Sleep Foundation for
participation in a consensus panel. DAC and LH have received honoraria from Children and Screens. LH is
on the scientic advisory board for Children and Screens. She has also received consulting fees from Idorsia
Pharmaceuticals and various other honoraria/travel support for lectures and consulting activities from
various non-prots and academic institutions.
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#75
Use of Focus Group Methodology
to Gather Youth Voice About Digital Media Use
HAMPTON, MAREE, M.ED.1
BACKGROUND: Engaging young people to understand their lived experiences is a key practice in both
Positive Youth Development and Public Health education. As digital wellbeing educators, it is essential
that we actively listen to youth in order to create educational content that is relevant and impactful. In this
project, focus groups were used as a qualitative research method to gather insights into young people’s online
experiences, guiding the development of meaningful digital wellbeing resources.
METHODS: Focus group methodology is a qualitative method used to gather data to understand an issue in-
depth. In this project, seven focus groups were conducted with 52 diverse students in grades seventh through
twelfth. The focus groups were held at urban schools in Minnesota and were conducted by trained focus
group moderators and assistant moderators. Each focus group lasted 55 minutes, and students received a gift
card for participating. The moderator introduced the purpose of the focus group, explained how focus groups
work, stated the ground rules, and asked students if they had any questions. Students were told that they
could leave at any time. In conclusion, the assistant moderator summarized what was heard and asked for
clarication and comments. The focus groups were recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and coded.
RESULTS: Six themes emerged.
1. Students recognize when social media use negatively impacts their wellbeing. They regularly
struggle with emotionally draining and triggering digital content.
2. Students are aware of the manipulative and persuasive design of technology and recognize how easy
it is to be on devices much longer than they intend.
3. Students want parents to create device limits with them, to be understanding in conversations about
device use, and to recognize the vast differences between generations.
4. Students are attempting digital wellbeing practices as they seek to reduce the time spent on digital
media. They acknowledge the challenge in sustaining these practices.
5. Students have mixed experiences with limits on their technology use, but many recognize ways in
which they and their family unit benet from limiting technology use.
6. Students are highly concerned about seeing children engrossed in devices and not engaged in healthy
childhood activities.
IMPLICATIONS: The focus group themes and quotes are used in digital wellbeing educational content for
a variety of audiences, including educators, youth workers, school administrators, students, public health
educators, mental health practitioners, and parents/caregivers. The data can be readily integrated into
emerging digital well-being content. Understanding the themes and hearing student quotes provides an
opportunity for adult advocates and students to learn about the lived experience of students navigating digital
media use and to “hear their voices” through quotes. The data illuminates the challenges of navigating digital
media use, the support students want from parents/caregivers, and student concerns.
COI DISCLOSURE: I have no conicts of interest.
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#76
Is 13 Too Young?
Validation of the Digital Flourishing Scale for Adolescents
(DFS-A) & Implications for U.S. Social Media Legislation
HANEBUTT, RACHEL1,2
BACKGROUND: Traditional research on adolescent digital use has disproportionately focused on screen
time, addictive behavior, and decit-based measures of wellbeing (e.g., social, cognitive, and emotional
outcomes). Few studies assess digital wellbeing directly, dened as the impact of one’s relationship with
technology on overall wellbeing. This gap is compounded by the absence of validated tools that incorporate
person-specic (e.g., age) and device-specic factors. Age, in particular, remains an underexplored
dimension, despite the critical developmental period of early adolescence (ages 11-14), when technology and
social media use becomes more prevalent. Recent guidance from the U.S. Surgeon General emphasizes the
developmental risks of early social media use, highlighting the need for valid measures to support research
and intervention. This study addresses these gaps by examining the construct validity of Rosic et al.’s (2022)
Digital Flourishing Scale for Adolescents (DFS-A) among U.S.-based early adolescents, with a focus on
Latine populations.
METHODS: Using a community-engaged research partnership with #HalfTheStory—a nonprot
organization focused on adolescent digital wellbeing interventions—data were collected from 960 middle
school students, representing 92% of the school population, with the majority identifying as Latine. The
DFS-A, a 21-item strengths-based scale, includes ve factors:connectedness, civil participation, positive
social comparison, authentic self-presentation, and self-control. Conrmatory Factor Analyses (CFA)
were conducted to assess internal consistency, factorial validity, and measurement invariance across key
demographic variables (age, socioeconomic status, gender identity, ethnicity). Model t was evaluated using
χ², RMSEA, CFI, TLI, and SRMR indices.
RESULTS: Findings demonstrate strong internal consistency for all DFS-A factors, with Cronbach’s α
values exceeding 0.80. CFA supported a ve-factor model, with excellent t indices for continuous data
[χ²(179) = 590.135, p < 0.001; RMSEA = .049; CFI = 0.955; TLI =0.947; SRMR = 0.042]. Comparisons of
continuous and categorical models revealed a more ideal RMSEA and higher t for the continuous approach.
Measurement invariance testing conrmed that the DFS-A is valid across early adolescent age groups (ages
11-12 and 13-14) and demographic variables, including Latine identication, SES, and gender identity. These
ndings provide strong evidence for the DFS-A’s reliability and validity for assessing digital wellbeing in
U.S.-based adolescents, especially Latine populations.
IMPLICATIONS: The validated DFS-A provides researchers and practitioners with a robust tool
for measuring digital wellbeing among early adolescents. This study underscores the importance of
incorporating developmental and socio-cultural factors into assessments and interventions. By establishing
a validated, strengths-based framework, this work supports upstream digital wellbeing interventions,
particularly for underrepresented groups, and informs policies addressing age-appropriate technology
use. Future research should explore longitudinal applications and leverage the DFS-A to design tailored,
evidence-based strategies for improving adolescent relationships with technology.
COI DISCLOSURE: The author provides organizational consulting for #HalfTheStory—a relationship
that began after the data collection of the presented study–and serves on the Scientic Advisory Board for
Only7Seconds, both nonprots in the adolescent mental health and digital wellness space.
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#77
Mapping Adolescent Digital Wellbeing: A Scoping Review
to Define, Study, and Improve Relationships with Technology
HANEBUTT, RACHEL1,2
BACKGROUND: Digital wellbeing, which encompasses the physical, mental, and socioemotional impact
of technology use, is increasingly relevant during adolescence—a developmental stage characterized by
identity formation and heightened digital engagement. Despite its societal importance, adolescent digital
wellbeing remains underexplored, particularly in terms of conceptual clarity and actionable frameworks. To
address this, a scoping review was conducted to map the evidence base, identify denitions, and examine
methodologies related to adolescent digital wellbeing, with the goal of informing interventions to improve
adolescent relationships with technology.
METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across ten online databases, including Web of Science,
PubMed, and PsychINFO, covering literature from January 2008 (advent of smartphones) to December 2022.
Articles were included if they explicitly referenced “digital wellbeing” or “digital wellness” and involved
adolescent participants (ages 10-19). Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, the review assessed 1,366 articles,
with 65 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Data were analyzed for conceptual denitions, methodological
approaches, and intervention strategies, emphasizing the strengths-based perspective of digital wellbeing.
RESULTS: Findings revealed that while digital wellbeing is an emerging area, denitions and applications
varied signicantly across studies. Most studies emphasized balance, digital literacy, and skills as central
to digital wellbeing, with few using the term explicitly in titles or abstracts. Theoretical frameworks
were underdeveloped, and measures often focused on decit-based constructs, such as screen time or
addiction, rather than holistic wellbeing. Methodologically, studies were predominantly cross-sectional,
with limited use of participatory or longitudinal designs. Interventions, including apps and curricula, lacked
systematic evaluation frameworks. A notable gap was the minimal inclusion of adolescent perspectives and
developmental considerations, underscoring the need for teen-centric approaches.
IMPLICATIONS: This scoping review highlights critical gaps in the conceptualization and study of
adolescent digital wellbeing, offering several implications. First, researchers must adopt participatory
methods to include adolescent voices and developmental frameworks. Second, there is a pressing need
for standardized measures that focus on strengths-based outcomes and account for the dynamic, context-
dependent nature of digital wellbeing. Lastly, the ndings suggest that fostering systemic change requires
integrating evidence-based practices into policies, education, and digital design, ensuring that interventions
are actionable, scalable, and aligned with adolescent needs. This review provides a foundation for advancing
adolescent digital wellbeing research and practice, emphasizing the importance of holistic, developmentally
grounded approaches.
COI DISCLOSURE: The author provides organizational consulting for #HalfTheStory and serves on the
Scientic Advisory Board for Only7Seconds, both nonprots in the adolescent mental health and digital
wellness space.
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#78
Associations Between Digital Technology Use and Well-being in the
Early Schooling Years: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
HARVERSON, JACQUELYN, BPSYC (HONS)1,3, HORWOOD, SHARON, PHD1,3,
PAATSCH, LOUISE, PHD2,3, ANGLIM, JEROMY, PHD1
BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that greater duration of childhood digital technology use is associated
with detrimental health and well-being outcomes, however there is a paucity of evidence that explores
contextual factors or casual pathways in these relationships. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a
unique in situ methodology yet to be used when exploring associations between children’s digital technology
use and well-being outcomes. Using this novel approach, the present research focused on exploring
children’s use of digital technology as a multifaceted experience, aiming to investigate how children’s digital
technology experiences are associated with affect and externalizing behaviors across time. We hypothesised
that screen-based experiences would show signicant predictive power for affect and behavior outcomes.
Furthermore, we predicted that parent-child interactions would moderate unfavourable relationships found
between screen factors and well-being variables.
METHODS: To answer the research aims, EMA methodology was employed using an application called
SEMA3. Participants self-selected to take part in the EMA study as a supplement to a larger online cross-
sectional survey. For inclusion, participants needed to be procient in English, and the primary carer of a
child in the rst three years of primary school. Over a period of 14 days, participants received momentary
surveys three times per weekday (outside of regular school hours; 8am, 4pm, 6pm), and ve times each
weekend day (8am, 11am, 1pm, 4pm, 6pm). Within each momentary survey, parents reported the following
information about their child’s digital technology use in the preceding hour: devices used, duration of use
per device, context of use, reason for use, and activity undertaken. To ensure brevity appropriate to an EMA
design, well-being was reported through a subset of questions from validated measures as follows: positive
and negative affect (PANAS-C-P; Estubani et al., 2012), parent-child interactions (CPRS-SF; Driscoll &
Pianta, 2011), and externalizing behaviours (SDQ; Goodman, 1997).
RESULTS: The nal dataset included 43 participants who had completed both the baseline survey and a
minimum of ve experience sampling observations (mean child age = 6.4 years). In total, 937 momentary
assessments were included for analysis (mean momentary assessments per participant = 28.37, SD = 11.9).
Multilevel modelling showed that screen use duration held signicant, negative, predictive value for negative
affect only. Interactive use positively predicted all well-being outcomes. Parent-child relationship quality
presented as a strong and signicant predictor of affect and behavior outcomes over time. Positive parent-
child interactions, positive affect, and negative affect showed signicant, negative, predictive value for
children’s screen use duration.
IMPLICATIONS: The ndings present insight into the associations between children’s technology use and
well-being. Results suggest that parent-child relationship quality is more consequential for children’s well-
being than digital technology use itself, with screen time often owing from, rather than causing, emotional
states.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors have no conicts of interest to disclose. Ms. Harverson reports no nancial
support or patent for the research being presented.
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#79
From Tools to Companions:
Teens’ Usage and Perceptions of AI Products
HO, K.1, YUE, Z.1, SCHWAMM, S.1, BICKHAM, D.S.1, & RICH, M.1
BACKGROUND: AI-powered tools, such as Voice Assistants (VAs) and Generative AI (GenAI), are
becoming more capable of mimicking humans (Andries & Robertson, 2023); as adolescents use these
technologies, they may engage in parasocial interactions or relationships (i.e., one-way emotional
attachments) (Stein et al., 2022). Despite their similarities, VAs are task-oriented and responsive, while
GenAI platforms offer dynamic, human-like conversations (Wheatley & Hervieux, 2024). This study
explores how teenagers perceive and interact with these two AI technologies, and seeks to examine whether
teens may rely on these platforms for support.
METHODS: A diverse nationwide sample of 1,440 adolescents (ages 13-17) were surveyed from August 2-6,
2024. Participants reported their use of VAs and GenAI, followed by perception questions for those with
experience using these technologies. Perceived creepiness (Woźniak et al., 2021) and parasocial relationships
(Hoffman et al., 2021) were assessed using established scales with high internal consistency (α > .80).
RESULTS: In terms of how teens view these tools, a within-subject analysis indicated that VAs (M =
2.80, SD = 1.07) were viewed as signicantly less “creepy” than GenAI (M = 2.85, SD = 1.06), p = .036.
Additionally, about half of the participants expressed openness to forming parasocial relationships with AI
technologies (with VAs: 53%, with GenAI: 46.7%). Teens were signicantly more likely to form parasocial
relationships with VAs (M = 3.20, SD = 1.06) compared to GenAI (M = 3.05, SD = 1.10), p < .001. Among
participants who reported using VAs, the most common activities were entertainment (e.g., listening to
music: 71%) and task-oriented activities (e.g., look up specic facts: 61.5%). In contrast, teens use GenAI
primarily for academic and research purposes (e.g., search for information to answer a specic question:
51.8%). Although less common, roughly one-quarter of teens reported using GenAI for social or emotional
matters, such as seeking advice on mental health (GenAI = 28.6%) and personal/relationship issues (GenAI =
30.4%).
IMPLICATIONS: Results demonstrate adolescents use VAs and GenAI for varying purposes and are open
to forming parasocial relationships with these technologies. VAs are perceived as less “creepy,” and more
teens reported forming parasocial relationships with them. This may be due to VAs’ familiar and predictable
nature, which could inform the design of future AI tools to align with users’ comfort and engagement
levels. Still, as VAs and GenAI become more integrated, it raises questions regarding how users’ perceived
“creepiness” could impact engagement and attitudes. These technological shifts, where AI can assume roles
akin to peers or trusted mentors, have implications for how adolescents receive support and their overall
well-being. While AI tools could support adolescents’ psychosocial needs, balancing benets with potential
risks – such as susceptibility to manipulation or over-reliance on AI – is essential.
COI DISCLOSURE: The Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital is supported by Amazon
Kids, Aura, CharacterAI, Discord, Pinwheel, Pinterest, Point 32 Health: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care/
Tufts Health Plan, Roblox, Ruderman Family Foundation, Snap Inc., TikTok, and Trend Micro Cares. These
organizations provided unrestricted funding for research and operations and are not involved in the design,
analysis, or reporting of our research.
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#80
Temporal Associations Between Parents’ Daily Reports of
Infant Aect, Media Motivations, and Parenting Behavior
KIRKORIAN, HEATHER1, BARR, RACHEL2 , SUH, BOLIM1,
BOOTH, MCCALL2, BLANCHARD, M. ANNELISE3, PIPER, DOUGLAS J.2,
LI, JENNICA1, DESING, ELEANOR1, KERR, MARGARET L.1
BACKGROUND: The DREAMER framework posits that media effects depend partly on parents’
motivations, or their reasons for media use. For example, using media to regulate emotions may explain
why parenting stress and child negative affectivity predict parents’ and children’s media use. However,
prior research relies on global measures, overlooking day-to-day uctuations that may reveal underlying
mechanisms. We collected daily diaries to examine same-day and next-day associations within subjects. We
expected associations to vary across different media motivations on a given day.
METHODS: 401 predominantly white (70%), college-educated (88%) parents (76% mothers) of an infant
12-24 months old (M=16.4 months, 51% boys) reported on parent and child behaviors each day for 21 days.
Items captured parent-reported frequency of infants’ negative affect (e.g., fussing, crying), infants’ positive
affect (e.g., happy, laughing), and parenting behaviors (i.e., yelling at or comforting/soothing the child).
Media motivation items loaded onto ve factors: parent media to (1) regulate their own emotions or (2) relax
alone, child media to (3) regulate child emotions/behaviors or (4) occupy children, and (5) shared media to
relax together. Analysis entailed temporal network modeling, a two-step multilevel vector autoregressive
(mlVAR) approach that generates three network structures estimating how well each variable predicts all
others on the same day (contemporaneous) and the next day (temporal), as well as a between- subjects
network demonstrating mean-level associations between all variables.
RESULTS: Findings varied across all three networks, highlighting the importance of investigating day-to-
day uctuations in media use in addition to global traits. On days when infants were fussier, parents reported
more frequent yelling and more frequent media use to occupy children, regulate children, and regulate
parents’ own emotions the same day (all ps <= .002), and more media to occupy children the next day (p
= .048). The reverse was not true: Media use did not predict negative affect the next day (p = .157). Using
media to relax alone (p = .036) and to regulate children (p = .007) predicted more parent comforting the next
day, while using media to connect with children predicted more infant positive affect the next day (p = .033).
Again, the reverse was not true (p = .684).
IMPLICATIONS: The direction of temporal effects suggests media use may be an adaptive strategy, at
least in the short term, giving parents a respite today so they can be more present with infants (comforting/
soothing instead of yelling) and share positive experiences (infants’ positive affect) the next day. However,
effects may be different over longer time scales (weeks, months, years). Critically, short-term (i.e., same-day
and next-day) within-person effects were not found at the between-person level, underscoring the importance
of examining uctuations within individuals to identify mechanisms and potential targets for intervention.
COI DISCLOSURE: This work was funded by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, P01HD109907-01). Kirkorian serves on advisory
boards for Children & Screens and Sesame Workshop. Li has a part-time student assistant position at PBS
Wisconsin.
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#81
In-home Activities and Media Use
During Mother-Infant Dyadic Play
PIPER, DOUGLAS J.1, VOWELLS, MARY KATE1, KRAMER, EMILY K.1,
AMODIO, LAUREN1, BUTLER, JULIA1, KUMAR, ANISHA1, LIAU, COLIN1,
PAMPALONI, NOA1, HARVEY, ILA1, AND BARR, RACHEL1
BACKGROUND: Discussions of media use for young children focus on disruptions of healthy development.
This narrative commonly stems from concerns of displacement, or media use that replaces benecial
educational and social activities (Fisch, 2004). Existing research largely excludes early childhood, and studies
that do include young children do not support displacement (Hassinger-Das et al., 2020). In part, it may be
that young children experience disruption from their family members’ media use rather than their own.
While some experimental evidence supports this explanation by demonstrating the ways in which parental
tech-related interruptions reduce parents’ involvement in children’s play (e.g., Konrad, Berger-Hanke, et al.,
2021; Konrad, Hillmann, et al., 2021; Stockdale et al., 2020), other studies have shown that parents remain
attuned to their children’s emotions (Azhari et al., 2020) and support their children’s experiences (Ewin et al.,
2021) when using media together. This study examines the diversity in young children’s media experiences
by describing the ways that mothers and infants use media during everyday play. This analysis addresses our
primary research question: How do infants and mothers play and use media at home?
METHOD: Data were collected from one Play and Learning Across a Year site. One-hour naturalistic
observations were collected in the homes of 60 dyads from the Washington, D.C. metro area (Mage = 16.64
months; 57% female; Barr et al., 2019). Activities and media use were recorded by 5 coders in 47 videos at
the time of submission with the remaining videos to be coded by June 2025. Two 7.5-minute blocks (25%)
of each video were randomly selected to be double-coded, and reliability was good (ICC = .85; Koo & Li,
2016).
RESULTS: Infants spent the greatest time playing (M = 31.32 minutes, SD = 12.04 minutes). The next most
frequent activities were other (M = 13.02, SD = 7.24) and snack (M = 8.08, SD = 8.49). Other activities
included those that were unique to a dyad or small group of dyads, such as baking with the mother. Of the 47
infants, 17 used devices. Mother-supported interactions were the longest infant media uses (M = 58 seconds,
SD = 88 seconds) followed by solo media use (M = 31, SD = 22). 32 mothers used devices by themselves.
Mothers used media for 4.33 minutes on average (SD = 5.17 minutes). Most mothers also reported being
likely or very likely to use devices while playing with their child (n = 33). Associations between reported
likelihood and actual media use during playtime will be assessed.
IMPLICATIONS: Little is currently known about infants’ media usage in the home during everyday
activities. This study extends our understanding by examining mothers and infants engaging in naturalistic
play.
COI DISCLOSURE: Play and Learning Across a Year is supported by grants from the Ofce of the Director,
National Institutes of Health, (OD), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human
Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA) under R01HD094830-01, the LEGO Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
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#82
Media and Mood in Black Adolescent Socialization
LABROUSSE, DANIEL1, LADD, BRIANNA A.2, MAHEUX, ANNE J.3, AND CHOUKAS-BRADLEY, SOPHIA1
BACKGROUND: Adolescent development is molded by the media industry at large, peer relationships, and
individualized appearance-related concerns. Prior research has linked social media use and peer interactions
to depressive symptoms. However, there is limited research investigating how Black media consumption
relates to Black adolescents. We hypothesized that adolescents would be at a lower risk for depressive
symptoms if they followed more Black media, had more Black friends, and had fewer online appearance
concerns.
METHODS: 290 participants who self-identied as Black were included in the current analysis (54.1%
girls, 45.9% boys, 12.1% Latine, ages 13–20, Mage = 15.5). All procedures were approved by the University
Institutional Review Board. The survey included the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, the
Appearance-related Social Media Consciousness Scale (ASMC), and two items measuring the percentage
of Black social media exposure and the percentage of Black friendships in real life (“Of all the people you
follow on social media who you do not know in real/Of everyone you are friends with in real life, what
percentage are of the same racial/ethnic group as you?”). Covariates in all analyses included binary gender
identity and social media screen time.
RESULTS: Black media (b=-0.1, SE=0.02, t(285)=-3.97, p<.001, R2=0.21, p<.001) and ASMC score (b=1.4,
SE=0.37, t(285)=3.89, p<.001) were both associated with depressive symptoms. ASMC predicted more
depressive symptoms, while Black media predicted fewer depressive symptoms.
IMPLICATIONS: Social media is a double-edged factor for adolescent mental health. Specically, Black
media may be a protective factor, while ASMC was linked to more depressive symptoms. Future research
should examine how positive social media experiences related to appearances and Black media can support
adolescent mental health.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare that they have no known competing nancial interests or personal
relationships that could have appeared to inuence the work reported in this study.
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#83
Exploring Teens’ Uses and Ethical Concerns About AI
LANDESMAN, ROTEM¹, DAVIS, KATIE¹
BACKGROUND: Young people are rapidly adopting AI-powered tools and services in their daily lives, from
helping to develop their ideas for school assignments to talking with AI-powered chatbots on social media
platforms. These everyday uses of AI raise a variety of ethical dilemmas related to questions of authorship,
authenticity, friendship, and agency, among others. At present, however, most youth receive little explicit
guidance about how AI tools work, the benets they can provide, and the ethical challenges they raise. Many
schools have banned the use of large language models (LLMs) outright, while others have issued vague or no
policies to guide their use. As a result, youth have few opportunities to reect on AI and its role in their lives.
Despite this communication vacuum, young people’s use of AI continues to accelerate, raising questions
about whether and how to prepare them for a world permeated by AI technologies. Existing research has
documented many different ways that youth are using AI inside and out of school, as well as how they
are thinking about the ethical issues surrounding their use of AI. However, this understanding is far from
complete, especially in light of the speed with which AI tools are being released and adopted. Developing
this understanding represents a critical step in the design of supports to promote youth’s responsible AI use.
METHODS: We engaged 29 teens (ages 14-17) in a series of ve co-design sessions focused on their
everyday uses of AI tools and platforms. These sessions were part of our ongoing, long-term engagement
with these teens, which meant that we entered this research with strong design partnerships between adult
researchers and teen participants. These partnerships provided a rich context for identifying and reecting
on the variety of ways that AI permeates and shapes teens’ daily lives. Our investigation was guided by
the following research questions: (1) In what ways are teens using AI-powered tools and platforms in their
everyday lives, inside and out of school?, and (2) What concerns do teens express about AI technologies, and
how do they manage these concerns?
RESULTS: Through a thematic analysis of session recordings, design artifacts, and teens’ individual co-
design journals, we documented a variety of ways that teens use AI tools for schoolwork and entertainment
(RQ1). Participants also described AI tools that are seamlessly integrated into other tools and platforms
(e.g., Spotify, social media) and therefore used without much, if any, conscious thought. Our results show
that teens’ AI use can be categorized along two dimensions: (1) whether the task for which they are using
AI is peripheral or central to their focal activity, and (2) the level of agency they have in relation to the AI
technology they are using. We further identied seven primary concerns expressed by participants about AI
technologies (RQ2), which we classied into a hierarchy of concerns ranging from (1) the usefulness/quality
of AI output, (2) AI’s impact on personal well-being, to (3) how AI’s efciency threatens our humanity.
IMPLICATIONS: This work contributes new empirical evidence documenting how teens are currently
using and reasoning about AI technologies in their daily lives, with a particular focus on teens’ reasoning
about the ethical dimensions of AI. Our mapping of teens’ AI uses along the two dimensions of peripheral/
central tasks and passive/agentic uses provides new insight into the circumstances under which teens’ AI
use supports or undermines their personal agency. We use this mapping in conjunction with the hierarchy
of concerns expressed by teens to offer guidance for designing AI tools and educational curricula to support
teens’ responsible AI use.
COI DISCLOSURE: Rotem Landesman reports partial nancial support from the Spencer Foundation
during the conduct of the research to be presented, and thanks them for their involvement.
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#84
Young Children and AI: Surveying the Landscape
LANDESMAN, ROTEM¹, TARE, MEDHA², PRESTON, MICHAEL²
BACKGROUND: AI-powered applications are becoming more common in children’s everyday lives -
whether at home or otherwise. Opinions regarding AI as it interacts with kids are often as diverse as
the applications themselves; while some herald AI as the engine to personalized learning and deeper
engagement, others warn of the potential dangers like the risks to privacy and the spread of misinformation
that AI can conjure. To start making sense of this evolving eld, we sought to determine: (1) what are the
current opportunities, dangers, and dispositions towards AI and its use by young children, and (2) what are
some recommendations for parents, educators, and scholars as they build future AI-powered applications for
children?
METHODS: This work takes into account the perspectives of children, parents, and subject matter experts to
paint a more complete picture of the opportunities and dangers AI may have in today’s world. By doing so,
we sought to better understand what we know and do not know about AI technologies - such as generative
AI (GenAI) and voice assistants - and their inuence on children’s development, learning, and perceptions.
We draw on recent academic literature, in-depth interviews with four experts in the intersection of children
and AI, a survey of 36 scholars and practitioners, and a survey of 53 parents of children ages 2-8. These
data provide a current overview alongside actionable insights into this emergent eld. We address current
notions of AI literacy, children’s rights, AI’s potential for enhancing learning and creativity, and the risks of
misinformation and privacy concerns as children interact with AI.
RESULTS: Our key ndings show that while children often trust AI technologies more readily than adults,
this trust can lead to unique learning opportunities as well as vulnerabilities. Additionally, parents of young
children expressed mixed feelings about AI, ranging from optimism about its potential to concerns about
privacy and misinformation. Families also emphasized the importance of maintaining a human-mediated
approach to AI use. Experts corroborated this and highlighted the importance of thoughtfully mediating the
use of AI-powered technologies to children, while keeping a close eye on these devices’ design and goals.
IMPLICATIONS: The ndings have several implications. First, they highlight the necessity of integrating AI
literacy into educational curricula to prepare children for an AI-driven world. Second, they underscore the
importance of developing family-oriented AI tools that align with ethical standards and safeguard privacy.
Third, they recommend fostering parental engagement to mediate children’s AI interactions and model
critical thinking. Finally, the report urges policymakers and technology developers to address disparities in
access to AI tools and information, especially for marginalized communities. As AI continues to reshape
childhood experiences, empowering families to navigate this landscape responsibly will be key to leveraging
AI’s potential while mitigating its risks.
COI DISCLOSURE: Rotem Landesman reports that this work was funded by a Google.org grant to Sesame
Workshop during the conduct of the research to be presented.
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#85
Children’s Susceptibility to Content
Generated by Artificial Intelligence
LANGER, ALLISON1, MARTINEZ, STEVEN1, MARSHALL, PETER1, CHEIN, JASON1
BACKGROUND: Advancements in articial intelligence (AI) tools can make it difcult to discern what
is “real”. While adults consistently perform near chance when discerning AI-generated texts and images
(Dugan et al., 2023, Miller et al. 2023, Chein, Martinez, & Barone, 2024), no study has investigated
this ability in children. Children are skeptical of implausible claims (Browne & Woolley, 2004) and
untrustworthy informants (Sobel & Finiasz, 2020), however, the strategies they use to detect what is plausible
and trustworthy may not translate to online environments (Shtulman, 2024). Here, we test if children
can discern whether content is human- or AI-generated and examine if this ability is associated with uid
intelligence, receptive vocabulary, age, and technology exposure.
METHODS: Participants & Measurements. Children (n=34) aged 6-9 years old (meanage = 7.88 years, sdage
= 1.04 years) complete an AI-discernment task, the Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices, and the Peabody
Picture Vocabulary Test. Parents complete demographics and technology use questionnaires. Research
Design. Children are provided with an age-appropriate narrative illustrating how a “Smartbot” (representing
AI) and “Ms. Shelby” (representing the human), can write text, take photos, and create art. They are
presented with 128 stimuli, half of which are AI-generated, and asked to discern if the stimuli came from
the Smartbot or Ms. Shelby. The stimuli contain 32 texts (from ChatGPT 3.5 and children’s books), and 96
images across three categories: art (from Gemini 1.0 or public domain art), faces (from StyleGan2 or Flickr),
and objects (from Gemini 1.0 or stock photos). Children rate their condence in their judgments and answer
questions about their perception of the Smartbot. Analysis. We analyzed children’s overall and category-
based detection accuracy. We calculated D’ signal sensitivity scores, where we dened a “hit” as correctly
identifying human-generated content as human-generated, and a “false alarm” as mistakenly identifying
AI-generated content as human-generated. We examined how individual predictors account for variance in
detection ability and children’s condence in their judgments.
RESULTS: Children’s average detection accuracy was 48.6% (sd=4.44%). Accuracy was not associated with
age, uid intelligence, receptive vocabulary, or frequency of technology usage at home. A one-way ANOVA
showed a signicant effect of stimulus category on accuracy, F(3, 268)=5.69, p<.001, whereby detection was
more accurate for objects (54.13%, sd=16.8%) than art (50.1%, sd=17.1%), texts (47.2%, sd=17.5%), and faces
(42.4%, sd=17.6%). D’ scores indicated more hits for art (D’=0.01) and objects (D’=0.22), but more false
alarms for faces (D’=-0.41) and texts (D’=-0.13). Children’s condence was positively related to accuracy for
only human-generated images of objects (r=0.30, p=.04).
IMPLICATIONS: Children were generally unable to detect AI-generated content from human-generated
content, though detection accuracy varied slightly by content type. Negative D’ values suggest that children
have a bias towards guessing content is human-generated. Our ndings highlight the importance of early AI
literacy to support children’s engagement with AI technologies.
COI DISCLOSURE: Allison Langer is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research
Fellowship under Grant No. 2038235.
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#86
Is It Okay to Post My Child on Social Media?:
Parents’ Posting Children on
Social Media and Preschoolers’ Social Anxiety
LANGLAIS, MICHAEL1,2, ELIAS, ERIKA1, JOHNSON, TAYLOR2
BACKGROUND: The phenomenon of “sharenting,” where parents post content about their children on
social media, has increased signicantly (Blum-Ross & Livingstone, 2017; Doğan Keskin et al., 2023). While
often seen as benign, sharenting poses potential risks alongside its benets, particularly as children are not
consulted regarding their online representation (Iskül & Joamets, 2021). Sharenting typically begins during
pregnancy, with 90% of American children having a digital footprint by age two (Peimanpak et al., 2023;
Williams-Ceci et al., 2021). Parents share images and stories about their children approximately 1,500 times
before children turn six (Bennett, 2016). Concurrently, rates of social anxiety in young children have risen
by 9% over two decades, potentially coinciding with the advent of social media (Kertz et al., 2017; Langlais
et al., 2020). This study aims to explore parents’ motivations for posting about children aged 3 to 5 on social
media and to investigate how these behaviors relate to children’s social anxiety.
METHODS: Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with parents and observational
assessments of children during recreational activities at a child development center in the Southern Central
United States. A total of 28 families (at least one parent and one child) provided data for this study.
Parent interviews, conducted over Zoom, lasted approximately 33 minutes. Simultaneously, two trained
undergraduate assistants observed each child twice during outdoor playtime to assess social anxiety using
the Anxiety Dimensional Observation Scale (ANX-DOS; Mian et al., 2015). Most participants were mothers
(75.0%), with an average age of 32.13 (SD = 4.09). The parental motivations for sharenting were analyzed
through thematic analyses and quantied into SPSS.
RESULTS: The study identied two main themes regarding parents’ motivations to post: those who are
motivated to share and those who are not. Motivations to share included keeping in touch with family
and friends and showcasing children. Conversely, concerns about sharenting included privacy issues and
the belief that posting is unnecessary. Correlations showed that sharing to maintain social connections
was negatively linked to performance anxiety, while children’s requests to post aligned positively with
perfectionism. Linear regression analyses conrmed that motivations signicantly inuenced children’s
social anxiety, explaining 39-82% of variance in anxiety symptoms.
IMPLICATIONS: The ndings highlight the psychological complexities of sharenting among preschoolers.
They emphasize the need for further research into the long-term effects of sharenting on children’s social
anxiety and broader mental health, as well as exploration of cultural practices in sharenting. These studies
could contribute to interventions and policies that protect children’s rights in the digital landscape while
informing parents about the implications of their sharing practices.
COI DISCLOSURE: The Department of Human Science and Design at Baylor University helped fund this
study. There are no conicts of interest for the authors to report.
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#87
Classroom Learning and Critical Reflection: The Mediating
Role of Critical Content Creation and Action for Black Youth
LEBLANC, TATE1, BRAVO, DIAMOND1, TYNES, BRENDESHA2
BACKGROUND: Online contexts are an important developmental system in the lives of Black youth, in
part for the affordances they provide for sociopolitical development. Critical reection, one’s understanding
of structural inequalities in society, is an important protective factor linked to Black youths’ positive
psychosocial functioning (Gale et al., 2025) and engagement in actions that make their developmental
contexts more just and equitable (Tyler et al., 2020). Research suggests classroom experiences (e.g.,
discussions about sociopolitical issues; Seider & Graves, 2020) and online engagement (e.g., afrming
online racial experiences; Volpe et al., 2023) uniquely predict Black youths’ critical reection. Theoretically,
creating online content about sociopolitical issues may broaden and reinforce Black youths’ own learning
about these topics from classroom discussions and subsequently enhance critical reection. However, the
directional links between classroom experiences, online engagement, and critical reection are not fully
understood. Guided by Afrofuturist Development Theory (ADT; Tynes et al., 2023), this strengths-based,
longitudinal study sought to examine whether Critical Content Creation and Action (CCCA), a behavioral
component of liberatory digital and media literacy (Tynes et al., 2020), mediates the longitudinal associations
between classroom learning experiences and critical reection.
METHODS: Longitudinal data were drawn from the National Survey of Critical Digital Literacy. Black
adolescents (ages 11 to 19 years) were selected from a nationally representative probability-based sample.
Data were collected in late 2020 (Time 1) and a year later in 2021 (Time 2). The analytic sample (n = 516)
included 265 girls. We conducted path analyses in R and controlled for age, gender, parent education, hours
spent online, and Time 1 critical reection.
RESULTS: A path model examining the links between classroom discussions about race and social justice
(Time 1), classroom digital literacy learning (Time 1), CCCA (Time 1), and critical reection (Time 2)
offered a good t for the data (χ2 = 42.93, p = .001, CFI = .93, TLI = .89, RMSEA = .05 [.03LL, .07UL],
SRMR = .05). Higher levels of CCCA at Time 1 predicted higher levels of critical reection at Time 2 (β =
.19, p = .004). Classroom discussions about race and social justice (β = .04, p = .605) and classroom digital
literacy learning (β = -.03, p = .646) did not predict critical reection. However, classroom digital literacy
learning was indirectly associated with critical reection via CCCA (β = .04, p = .021). Our model explained
28.1% of the variance in critical reection at Time 2.
IMPLICATIONS: Creating critical digital content partially mediates the link between classroom learning
about media literacy and critical reection one year later for Black youth. Consistent with ADT (Tynes et al.,
2023), Black youths’ online participation in sociopolitical discourse likely acts as a transformative behavioral
process through which they translate classroom conversations about political messages in media into deeper
understanding of societal inequities.
COI DISCLOSURE: This study was funded with a Lyle Spencer Award to Transform Education from the
Spencer Foundation (Brendesha Tynes, PI; Grant Number: 202000140). This article and ndings do not
necessarily represent the views of the foundation.
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#88
Exploring Dierences Between Parents’
Perceptions and Mediation of ChatGPT and Social Media
LI, JENNICA1, CAGILTAY, BENGISU2, ZHANG, SHIRLEY2,
SULLIVAN, DAKOTA2, KIRKORIAN, HEATHER1, MUTLU, BILGE2, FAWAZ, KASSEM3
BACKGROUND: Since its release in 2022, ChatGPT has become increasingly popular among children and
adults (Common Sense Media, 2024). Parents report using similar strategies to manage their children’s social
media (e.g., TikTok, Snapchat) and ChatGPT access (Abel & Magnusson, 2024; Yu et al., 2024), but less is
known about if parents’ perceptions of ChatGPT differ from social media and how these perceptions shape
their mediation strategies. Thus, this qualitative work explores: (a) whether parents’ perceptions of ChatGPT
differ from their perceptions of other social media, and (b) whether these perceptions lead to different
mediation strategies.
METHODS: Twelve U.S.-based families participated in online semi-structured interviews between February-
May, 2024. Family members (i.e., at least one parent and one child between 8-18 years old) were asked to
describe why and how they used ChatGPT, how they accessed ChatGPT, and what they considered to be
risks or benets of accessing ChatGPT. Parents were also asked to describe their strategies for managing
their children’s ChatGPT use or other online activities.
RESULTS: Many parents expressed concern that the design of common social media platforms is conducive
to excessive use and could lead to harmful social comparisons between users, but they did not extend these
concerns to ChatGPT. Instead, they viewed ChatGPT as an information-seeking tool that posed fewer digital
interaction risks compared to social media. Parents were most concerned about their children becoming
too reliant or trusting of ChatGPT and the platform’s lack of transparency around its data collection and
information generation processes. Parents worried about ChatGPT’s potential to generate information that
may be, or be perceived as being, inaccurate, unsuitable, or harmful and whether the platform retained
information that might jeopardize their children’s privacy. Most families implemented at least one strategy to
manage their children’s ChatGPT use, including requiring children to ask permission to access the platform
and restricting usage to shared devices. However, families overall mentioned fewer rules around using
ChatGPT versus other social media, and they sometimes chose not to transfer certain strategies they used
for other social media platforms to ChatGPT. For instance, some families excluded time spent on ChatGPT
from their children’s screen time limits. Several parents also felt that ChatGPT offered unique, family co-
use opportunities for bonding or learning. Although most parents felt satised with how they managed their
children’s ChatGPT access, some parents struggled to adapt certain strategies to ChatGPT (e.g., no options
for age-restricting accounts).
IMPLICATIONS: These ndings illuminate how parents’ perceptions and management of their children’s
use of ChatGPT may differ from other social media platforms. In this study, parents felt that ChatGPT may
pose fewer risks to their children than other social media, but also highlighted unique concerns about the
platform they found difcult to mediate.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research study was funded by an ongoing grant from the National Science
Foundation (Grant #: MSN268194). Li has a part-time student assistant position at PBS Wisconsin.
Kirkorian serves on advisory boards for Children & Screens and Sesame Workshop.
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#89
Adolescents Mobilizing Knowledge on
Sustainability Through Immersive Storytelling
MACDOWELL, PAULA1, OLSON, BRENT1, GAETZ, CYNTHIE1
BACKGROUND: Global sustainability challenges, including resource exploitation, electronic waste, and
environmental degradation, demand urgent action. However, many students and teachers are insufciently
engaged in sustainability practices and often lack the understanding necessary to connect unsustainable
consumption patterns with future impacts. Due to their complex and interdisciplinary nature, the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) are challenging to teach in traditional classrooms such that students understand
the connections between their actions and the consequences on other people and the planet. Virtual Reality
(VR) technologies offer unique opportunities for experiential learning that can deepen engagement with
environmental and sustainability issues. This study explores two questions: How do adolescents describe
their experiences as VR designers and storytellers? What are the affordances and constraints of VR
technologies for learning about sustainability?
METHODS: The study occurred during a two-day VR Research Camp with 28 students (ages 13 to 14,
with diverse cultural backgrounds and gender identities). Participants used VR authoring tools to design
immersive learning experiences that expressed their personal stories, practical solutions, and visions for
addressing SDG 15 (Life on Land). Two design challenges framed the research: 1) co-designing impactful
messages about deforestation using MultibrushVR and 2) co-designing immersive learning environments
within FrameVR. Data collection involved artifact analysis of the VR creations, participant-led interviews
capturing peer perspectives, group sharing circles for collaborative reection, individual surveys to evaluate
learning experiences and outcomes, and observational analysis of collaborative design processes. The data
were analyzed using narrative analysis techniques, ensuring a systematic and trustworthy synthesis of
insights with implications for educational practice and future research.
RESULTS: The ndings indicate VR’s potential as a tool for environmental and sustainability education;
94% of participants wanted to continue learning about sustainability through VR. One participant
reported that VR allowed them to “express yourself in ways you can’t in real life,” and 76% agreed that
VR facilitated creative self-expression. The immersive environments facilitated perspective-taking, with
students appreciating opportunities to “see what everyone’s perspective on deforestation is.” Participants
valued VR’s ability to enhance their conceptual understanding by overcoming physical limitations, such as
diving into polluted oceans or exploring boreal forests. One participant reected, “VR only opens doors…
you can learn faster and absorb things better because of the environment.” The immersive experiences were
described as transformative and emotionally impactful for learning about sustainability challenges such as
plastic pollution and food waste, with 88% of participants agreeing that VR enabled them to make decisions
about their learning. Minor technical challenges were noted, and 12% of participants experienced physical
discomforts like dizziness and nausea.
IMPLICATIONS: This research contributes empirical evidence on how adolescents learn about the SDGs by
designing immersive experiences for engaged citizenship and sustainable futures (MacDowell, 2021, 2022,
2023; Olson, 2022).
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare no conicts of interest.
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#90
Young Children’s Beliefs About And Learning From Digital Media
MACIAS, CARLA1,2, PERSAUD, KIMELE1, CHOI, KOEUN2
BACKGROUND: Despite extensive research on factors characterizing children’s diverse media use, little
work links these media experiences to young children’s educational expectations for digital media and their
learning outcomes. Previous research has shown that children develop different beliefs about digital media
(e.g., Macias & Choi, 2021) and can use these media beliefs to guide attention and learning from television
(Field & Anderson, 1985). However, whether children’s expectations for modern media (e.g., laptops, tablets,
etc.) impact their learning is unclear.
METHODS: Children aged 4-6 completed two phases: a media belief assessment and a learning
comprehension task. In the media assessment, children were shown images of ve media devices (i.e., TV,
Smartphone, Laptop, Book, and Tablet). They answered questions about their familiarity, experience, and
expectations for learning and fun from each device. To assess children’s learning expectations, they were
asked, “Is this something you use to learn? If yes, “How much do you learn from this?”, “A little, a medium
amount, or a lot?”. Similar questions were asked about expectations for fun. Next, children watched two
short educational videos as a within-subject design. Each video was prefaced with instructions to watch
either “to learn” or “just for fun.” Finally, comprehension was assessed using a 4-alternative forced choice
task measuring central, incidental, and inferential understanding of the video content.
RESULTS: We examined children’s educational expectations of digital media devices by measuring how
much children expected to learn from and have fun with each device. Preliminary data (N = 8; 13% of the
target) suggests that preschoolers generally associate digital media devices (i.e., TV, Smartphone, Laptop,
Tablet) with fun (M=.42) more than learning (M=.28), t(31)=2.03, p=.051, although the difference was not
signicant. Next, we explored whether explicit instructions to watch “to learn” or “just for fun” inuenced
children’s performance on the comprehension task and found no statistically signicant difference in
performance based on instructional condition, t(7)=-0.67, p=.260. Finally, we examined the relation between
performance in the “just for fun” condition and children’s average perception of laptops (the device used
to administer this study) as learning tools. We found a signicant negative association, r(6)=-0.82,p=0.013,
indicating that a stronger belief in laptops as learning tools was associated with lower performance in the
“just for fun” condition.
IMPLICATIONS: These preliminary results suggest that when children believe laptops are primarily for
learning and are instructed to use them “just for fun,” their performance on the comprehension task may
be negatively affected. These ndings highlight the importance of aligning intended learning goals and
children’s expectations about technology use, as mismatches may hinder learning outcomes. Data collection
is ongoing, and further analysis will examine whether this pattern persists with a full dataset.
COI DISCLOSURE: The presenting author, Dr. Carla Macias, is funded by the National Science Foundation
STEM Education Postdoctoral Fellowship [#2412203].
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#91
Unpacking the Eects of Screen Time: A Mega (Meta) Analysis on
Children’s Cognitive, Academic, and Socioemotional Outcomes
MADIGAN, SHERI1,2, MCARTHUR, BRAE ANNE1,2, EIRICH, RACHEL1,2, NEVILLE, ROSS3
BACKGROUND: Some researchers suggest that screen time may confer risk to children by displacing sleep
and physical activities, as well as social exchanges and learning opportunities. However, other researchers
suggest that sounding the alarm on screen time may not be empirically justied due to conicting research
results. Meta-analyses can provide greater statistical precision by pooling results from individual studies, but
even these often yield varying results and interpretations. To address this discrepancy, a newer method called
Umbrella Reviews, essentially a “mega”-analysis of meta-analyses has been developed. Umbrella reviews
offer a comprehensive overview of conicting research, which is crucial for policy efforts seeking concise,
actionable insights. The objective of this study is to conduct an umbrella review on the associations between
screen use and children’s outcomes, specically focusing on (1) language/cognitive skills, (2) academic
achievement, and (3) mental health. The rst aim of this umbrella review is to narratively summarize key
ndings from all existing meta-analyses. Using new innovative statistical methods, the second aim is to
statistically aggregate the effect sizes from these meta-analyses to produce a “mega”-analysis of screen time
and child outcomes.
METHODS: A science librarian designed and conducted the search in databases including MEDLINE,
Embase, and PsycINFO (up to November 2024). Search terms included “screen time” OR “screen use” AND
“systematic review” and “knowledge synthesis.” In total, 9,196 non-duplicate articles were identied and
screened using Covidence software. Studies were included if they (1) were meta-analyses and (2) reported on
child outcomes. After screening abstracts, 621 articles were agged as potentially meeting the criteria, and
31 studies were ultimately included in the umbrella review. Analyses will be conducted using the R package
metaumbrella.
RESULTS: The mean age of children across all included meta-analyses was 10.54 (52% boys). The majority
of studies included in meta-analyses were cross-sectional (82%). Our systematic search identied ve meta-
analyses examining the associations between screen time and language or cognitive skills (correlations
ranging from r = -.16 to .23), three meta-analyses on academic achievement (r = .14), and fteen meta-
analyses on psychopathology (correlations ranging from r = .03 to .30). For objective 2, we are in the process
of using the metaumbrella package to calculate pooled effect sizes across meta-analyses to derive the mega-
analytic results. Analyses will be complete by March 2025.
IMPLICATIONS: The ndings support pediatric recommendations to monitor the quantity of children’s
screen exposure given their associations with a host of problematic outcomes for children. Future research
should focus on collecting longitudinal data, as well as identifying which types of screen use are benecial
versus harmful to child development (e.g., interactive apps vs video streaming) and explore the buffering
effects of shared media experiences on children’s developmental outcomes.
COI DISCLOSURE: None.
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#92
Early Childhood Screen Use
Contexts and Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes:
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
*MALLAWAARACHCHI, SUMUDU2, *BURLEY, JADE1,2, MAVILIDI, MYRTO1,2, HOWARD, STEVEN J.1,2,
STRAKER, LEON2,3, KERVIN, LISA1,2, STATON, SALLY2,4, HAYES, NICOLE2,5, MACHELL, AMANDA2,6,
TORJINSKI, MARINA2,7, BRADY, BRODIE1,2, THOMAS, GEORGE2,8, HORWOOD, SHARON2,7, WHITE,
SONIA L. J.2,5, ZABATIERO, JULIANA2,3, RIVERA, CLARA1,2, CLIFF, DYLAN1,2
BACKGROUND: The multifaceted nature of screen use has been largely overlooked in favour of a simplistic
unidimensional measure of overall screen time when evaluating the benets and risks of screen use to early
childhood development. The current review aimed to synthesise and meta-analyse associations of screen use
contexts in early childhood with cognitive and psychosocial outcomes, and examine potential moderators.
METHODS: PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE Ovid, ProQuest, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus
were searched (inception to 31/12/2023). 7441 studies were initially identied. Studies were included if
they examined associations between a contextual factor of screen use among children aged 0 to 5.99 years
and cognitive or psychosocial development. Observational, experimental and randomized control trial
study designs were included. All studies were independently screened in duplicate following PRISMA
guidelines. Effect sizes of associations (r) from observational studies were pooled using random-effects
three-level meta-analyses. The remaining study designs were narratively synthesized. Screen use contexts
included content (child-directed, age-inappropriate), type (program viewing, game or app use), co-use
(or solo use), background television, caregiver screen use during child routines, and purpose of use (for
calming). Outcomes were cognitive (executive functioning, language and academic skills) or psychosocial
(internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and socio-emotional competence).
RESULTS: Overall, 100 studies (176,742 participants) were included, of which 64 observational studies
(pooled sample sizes ranging from 711 to 69,232) were included in meta-analyses. There were 22 acute
experimental studies, 4 RCTs, 37 cross-sectional studies and 37 longitudinal studies included. Most studies
were rated weak on study quality (n=65) while 27 and 8 studies were rated moderate and strong, respectively.
Program viewing [n=14, k=48, r=-0.16, 95% CI: -0.24, -0.08] and background television [n=8, k=18, r=-0.10,
95% CI: -0.18, -0.02] were negatively associated with cognitive outcomes; while program viewing [n=6,
k=31, r=-0.04, 95% CI: -0.07, -0.01], age-inappropriate content [n=9, k=36, r=-0.11, 95% CI: -0.17, -0.04] and
caregiver screen use during routines [n=6, k=14, r=-0.11, 95% CI: -0.20, -0.03] were negatively associated
with psychosocial outcomes. Co-use was positively associated with cognitive outcomes [n=8, k=28, r =0.14,
95% CI: 0.03, 0.25].
IMPLICATIONS: Findings show small-to-moderate effect sizes that highlight the need to consider screen
use contexts when making recommendations for families, clinicians, and educators beyond total screen
time limits; including encouraging intentional and productive screen use, age-appropriate content and co-
use with caregivers, as well as avoiding background television and caregiver screen use during parent-child
interactions or routines. Future research should further evaluate elements within those contexts that may
be associated with children’s development (e.g., ‘What elements of co-use interactions may be benecial
beyond co-viewing?’). The consideration of a broad scope of screen use contexts and outcomes presents new
opportunities and actionable targets for intervention and public health messaging.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Mallawaarachchi reports grants from ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital
Child (CE200100022) during the conduct of the research to be presented.
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#93
Digital Literacy for Young Minds:
Evaluating Cyber Hygiene and Digital Safety
Education for Public School Students in Puducherry, India
MATHIYAZHAGAN, SIVA1, ARUNAGIRI, VAISHALI1
BACKGROUND: The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 strongly emphasizes promoting digital literacy.
However, the implementation is still far from the reality in most government schools. Trust for Youth and
Child Leadership (TYCL), a youth-led organization, provided Cyber Hygiene and Digital Safety training
to government school students to address this gap. The program focused on ve key areas: 1) managing
screen time and understanding addictive algorithms, 2) preventing online child sexual abuse, 3) protecting
personal data, 4) avoiding cyberbullying, and 5) recognizing nancial risks in online games. The paper aims
to evaluate the program’s effectiveness and offer recommendations for scaling it and its potential policy
implications.
METHODS: The study adopted a mixed-method approach and was implemented in classes 6 to 9 in ve
government schools in Puducherry. Quantitative data were collected using a self-designed pre- and post-
assessment survey (n=344). Additionally, qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews (n=20)
to contextualize results. Descriptive statistics and a paired-sample t-test were employed to evaluate the pre-
and post-test mean values for each module, using JASP software to measure effectiveness. Qualitative data
were thematically coded, sub-coded, and analyzed using Dedoose software. The ndings were then compiled
and presented for dissemination.
RESULTS: Most of the students came from low-income families and marginalized communities. The study
results demonstrated a signicant improvement in students’ cyber hygiene awareness and digital safety
knowledge across all evaluated modules. A paired-sample t-test showed that overall post-test scores (M =
4.8, SD = 0.63) were signicantly higher than pre-test scores (M = 3.52, SD = 0.88), t (344) = -15.58, p <
.001, indicating the program’s effectiveness. Additionally, qualitative data supported these ndings, with
students reporting enhanced awareness and condence in practicing safe and responsible internet usage,
demonstrating the program’s success in fostering healthy digital habits.
IMPLICATIONS: This study emphasizes the importance of targeted education programs in enhancing
cyber hygiene and digital safety education. Scaling similar initiatives to other regions, with adequate
resource allocation and partnerships among educational institutions, governments, and nonprots, is crucial.
Policymakers in India must update the National Policy for Children (NCP) of 2013 to align with the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child’s General Comment No. 25 (2021), ensuring a safe and inclusive
digital environment for all children.
COI DISCLOSURE: We sincerely thank all student participants, teachers, and school administrators for
their support and cooperation during the program implementation and research. The Department of Women
and Child Development, Government of Puducherry, funded this program. We also thank the government
ofcials in the Departments of Women and Child Development, education, and the State Child Protection
Unit for their invaluable assistance.
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#94
Online Racial Discrimination
and Suicidal Ideation Among Black Youth in the U.S.
*TYNES, BRENDESHA M.1A, *MAXIE-MOREMAN, ASHLEY1B,
HOANG TUYET-MAI H.2, WILLIS, HENRY A.3, ENGLISH, DEVIN4
BACKGROUND: Black teens in the United States (U.S.) are dying by suicide at disparate rates in
comparison to their White counterparts, yet the etiology of suicidal ideation for these youth remain
unclear (Ormiston et al., 2024). Longitudinal research has shown associations between in-person racial
discrimination and suicidal ideation among Black youth (Walker et al., 2017; Madubata et al., 2023).
Research ndings also show that cyberbullying is associated with increased suicidal ideation amongst youth
(John et al., 2018), and that U.S. teens report being online “almost constantly” (Anderson et al., 2023). Yet,
despite this knowledge there are no previous studies examining the potential connections between online
racial discrimination and suicidal ideation among Black youth. In this study we aimed to address this gap
by determining if individual online racial discrimination, or direct exposure to online racial discrimination,
is associated with suicidal ideation through posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among Black
teens. Previous studies show links between online racial discrimination and traumatic stress among Black
youth (Maxie-Moreman & Tynes, 2022) and PTSD is a known risk factor for suicidality (Panagioti et al.,
2014). We hypothesized that online racial discrimination would be associated with suicidal ideation among
Black teens, and that PTSD symptoms would partially mediate this association. And due to age and gender-
related disparities (Sheftall et al., 2022), we expected stronger mediation models for girls than boys and for
early and middle adolescents in comparison to late adolescents.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data collected in 2020 from the National Survey of Critical
Digital Literacy. Participants are self-identied Black adolescents aged 11 to 19 years (N = 525; 50.5%
female). Participants were categorized into 3 age groups: early adolescent (11-13 years; 34.9%), middle
adolescent (14-17 years; 49%), and late adolescent (18-19 years; 16.2%).
RESULTS: Findings from structural equation modeling analysis showed that individual online racial
discrimination was associated with PTSD symptoms (β = 0.49, SE = 0.06, P < .001), and PTSD symptoms
were associated with suicidal ideation (β = 0.51, SE = 0.06, P < .001). Additionally, PTSD symptoms fully
mediated the association between online racial discrimination and suicidal ideation (β = 0.25, SE = 0.04, P <
.001). There was no direct association between online racial discrimination and suicidal ideation. There were
no differences in ndings by gender or age group.
IMPLICATIONS: Findings suggest that individual online racial discrimination may contribute to elevated
risk for traumatic stress and in turn this traumatic stress may increase risk for suicidal thoughts among Black
youth. Findings from this study make a compelling case for creation of policy aimed at establishing and
maintaining safer digital environments for Black youth via proactive monitoring and reduction of hate speech
online and cyberbullying.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Maxie-Moreman reports that the study to be presented was funded with a Lyle
Spencer Research Award to Transform Education (PI: Brendesha M. Tynes). There are no other disclosures
to report.
This abstract was adapted from Online Racial Discrimination, Suicidal Ideation, and Traumatic Stress in a
National Sample of Black Adolescents paper published in JAMA Psychiatry (*Tynes & *Maxie-Moreman et
al. 2024).
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#95
Momentary Eects of Maternal
Smartphone Use on Infant Behavior and Emotions
MCDANIEL, BRANDON T.1, WOLFERS, LARA2, GALOVAN, ADAM M.3, PFAFMAN, RACHEL1,
COLEMAN, BROOKLYN1, SHINDE, ANIRUDDHA S.1, COYNE, SARAH M.4, VENTURA, ALISON K.5
BACKGROUND: Parents average about 5 hours/day on smartphones1. Interviews reveal parent smartphone
use (SPU) when bored or stressed2 and for support3–5. Although SPU could assist parents, it may cause
distractions (technoference6), which can impact infant well-being/behavior7,8. Yet, differential susceptibility
to media effects9,10 suggests that infants may be more (or less) susceptible to maternal SPU depending on
developmental age. Utilizing phone tracking and ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of mothers
of infants, we explore whether the effects of maternal SPU on infant behavior and emotions may differ
depending on infant age (at 2, 3, 4, and 5 months).
METHODS: Participants—161 mothers (M age=29.9 years, 15% ethnic minority) of a 7.9-week-old
infant (SD=0.81, Range=6.6-10.9)—are from an ongoing longitudinal study on maternal SPU and infant
development. Currently, we have EMA/phone data cleaned on 81 mothers at 2 months of infant age and 37
at 3 months. We will expand to the full sample, to months 4 and 5, and to maternal outcomes by conference
time. Across 5 consecutive days (during each month), maternal SPU was tracked (using an app), and
mothers completed 5 EMA surveys per day (Mean completed EMAs=23.56, SD=4.18). EMAs asked about
the previous hour; mothers reported on times around baby, infant behavior/emotions (e.g.-“How happy was
baby?”), and perceptions of technoference. Combining the phone and EMA data, SPU around the infant was
calculated as the proportion of infant time the mother spent on SPU.
RESULTS: We estimated a series of multilevel models with SPU around infant as a predictor of infant
behavior and emotions. The models latently split variables into within-person momentary, within-person
daily, and between-person average portions. We compared the momentary and daily associations across
the two waves of data to evaluate if associations differed across waves.Examining results at the momentary
level, SPU was not associated with mother’s reports of infant happiness or stressful behavior at both waves;
SPU was not associated with infant fussiness at 2 months β= -0.04 (p=.245), but it was at 3 months β=0.13
(p=.018). At the momentary level, perceiving technoference associated with reduced infant happiness at 3
months β= -0.11 (p=.042) but not at 2 months β= -0.06 (p=.182), increased fussiness at both waves (2 months:
β=0.08, p=.086; 3 months: β=0.09 (p=.072), and increased momentary stressful behavior at month 2 (β=0.11,
p= .035) but not month 3 (β=0.02, p=.402).
IMPLICATIONS: Results are exploratory as the sample will expand greatly and across time by the
conference, allowing for greater certainty around estimates. Yet, interesting effects emerged, and some
differences also emerged that may suggest developmental differences for the effects of maternal smartphone
use on infant development.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. McDaniel reports that this research was supported by the Children and Screens:
Institute of Digital Media and Child Development Inc. under award number CS-IRGP 002.
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#96
Digital Parenting Challenges in the
Context of Bronfenbrenner’s PPCT Model:
A Study of Australian Parents
MILFORD, STEPHANIE1, JOHNSON, NICOLA, J.1, VERNON, LYNETTE1, SCOTT, JOSEPH, J.1,2
BACKGROUND: The rapid emergence of digital technologies has introduced complex challenges in
parenting, reshaping family dynamics and practices. This study utilizes Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-
Context-Time (PPCT) model to explore how individual traits, environmental factors, and societal changes
interact to inuence digital parenting. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and
Wellbeing of Parents (2024) highlights the mental health toll of these stressors, emphasizing the importance
of equipping parents to manage digital environments effectively. We aimed to identify key obstacles faced by
Australian parents in navigating their children’s digital interactions and how these challenges manifest across
ecological systems.
METHODS: Data was collected through an online survey of 394 Australian parents of school-aged children
(ages 4-17) between July and December 2022. Thematic content analysis, conducted using NVIVO 12,
identied major themes within qualitative responses. Bronfenbrenner’s PPCT model was applied as a
framework to systematically analyze the impact of personal and systemic factors on digital parenting
practices.
RESULTS: Challenges emerged across Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems. At the microsystem level,
family dynamics and parent-child interactions shaped children’s technology use. The mesosystem revealed
tensions between home and school digital practices, reecting differing expectations. Exosystem factors,
such as societal norms and media narratives, added external pressures. Macrosystem inuences, such
as cultural expectations and economic demands, further complicated parenting strategies. Finally, the
chronosystem highlighted the role of rapidly evolving technologies and shifting family structures in shaping
these challenges.
IMPLICATIONS: These ndings emphasize the need for systemic and tailored interventions that address
inuences spanning the microsystem to the macrosystem. Recommendations include implementing parental
mediation programs, fostering school-home collaboration on digital policies and prioritizing longitudinal
research to track changes in parenting practices over time. Aligning with the U.S. Surgeon General’s
recommendations, systemic approaches are vital for supporting parents’ and children’s mental health while
promoting positive digital engagement.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was supported by the Australian Research Training Program (RTP)
scholarship and an Edith Cowan University Higher Degree by Research (HDR) scholarship.
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#97
The Role of Playful Learning in Young Children’s Digital Play:
A Scoping Review
PIPER, DOUGLAS J.1, LEE, ALISON U.1, LOUGHLIN,
MADISON1, ZOSH, JENNIFER M.², BARR, RACHEL¹
BACKGROUND: In recent years, young children’s play has shifted to include digital experiences. Today,
devices are integrated in nearly all aspects of children’s lives, including their play. This integration concerns
parents about how to best support their children’s digital skills while preventing possible harms from media
use. Digital play is a relatively new term in the eld, and how researchers dene digital play in their work
potentially limits interpretation of their ndings. As parents navigate increasingly digital worlds, apps and
digital games can be designed to mirror playful learning. Children learn best when an activity is actively
engaging, meaningful, iterative, socially interactive, and joyful (Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2016). Playful
learning occurs when a child’s play is supported by an adult or the environment to achieve a learning goal
(Fisher et al., 2012; Weisberg et al., 2016). Because apps can guide play toward a learning goal, playful
learning can be a lens through which to look at digital play. This scoping review aimed to characterize how
digital play has been studied with children under 6 years old and to evaluate its intersection with playful
learning. The review was guided by two research questions:
RQ1: How has digital play been dened in studies of children’s interactions with devices?
RQ2: Do studies of digital play focus on the same principles as playful learning?
METHODS: PsychINFO and ERIC databases were searched for empirical studies of digital play. 81 studies
published between October 2003 and November 2024 were reviewed. Three coders extracted data from
the studies including caregiver characteristics, devices used, and digital play types. Coders then searched
each article for “digital play” and possible alternative phrases for digital play such as “digital activities” and
“video chat”. Where explicitly stated, denitions of digital play were extracted. Implied denitions were also
summarized and recorded by the coders. 28% of articles were reliably double-coded (kappa = 0.84).
RESULTS: The term “digital play” appeared in 28% of the studies. The most common alternative terms
falling under the digital play umbrella were digital, game, and video. Denitions of digital play were
infrequent (5%), but implicit denitions were present in over 50% of studies. Preschoolers were the most
studied age group, and studies that took place in schools were more likely to dene digital play than those
in other settings (p < .01). Principles of playful learning were present in many denitions. For studies that
dened digital play, actively engaging elements were the most frequent (83%) followed by socially interactive
(79%).
IMPLICATIONS: This review of digital play in early childhood suggests that playful learning can be a
useful framework for designers in creating digital experiences for children. Parents can also be guided to
choose content that resembles playful learning.
COI DISCLOSURE: No funding supported this work. The authors have no conicts of interest to report.
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#98
Phantom Technoference:
Social Media Time and Decreased
Parent Interaction When Smartphone is Not in Use
ROBINSON, ELIZABETH¹, STAGER, CATANYA², SCOFIELD, JASON¹
BACKGROUND: Daily interruptions in parent-child interactions from technological devices, or
“technoference” (McDaniel, 2014), is commonplace for families in the digital age. However, though parent
speech is vital for early child language development (Rowe, 2017), smartphone usage in the presence of a
child has been linked to decreased parent verbal engagement (Radesky, 2015) and joint attention (Krapf-
Bar et al, 2022). Most studies have focused on active smartphone usage during parent-child engagement,
but research suggests smartphone use could contribute to long-lasting decreases in parental sensitivity and
responsiveness (Braune-Krickau et al, 2021). This novel study asked if a phantom form of technoference
exists – that is, if high smartphone use would lead to reduced parent-child interaction qualities even when
a smartphone was not in use. We hypothesized that average maternal smartphone time, particularly social
media time, would be associated with decreased parent verbal interaction and joint attention during free play.
METHODS: Mothers (N=80, 19%Black, 69%White, 12%Other) completed the study with their children
(Mage=40 months). Mother-toddler dyads participated in a 10-minute video-recorded free play session,
during which mothers did not use smartphones. Mothers provided demographic data and phone usage data
from passive sensing applications gathered over the previous week. Interaction sessions were later coded for
talk and joint attention (episodes and time).
RESULTS: Mothers used their smartphones regularly throughout the week (M= 198 min/day; SD = 146),
including social media (M=87 min/day; SD = 67). From play-session data, we calculated 148 mean maternal-
talk episodes (SD=80) and 207 mean seconds of maternal-talk time (SD =106). Social media time was
signicantly negatively correlated with parent talk time, r(63) = -.28, p = .022, and talk episodes, r(63) =
-.28, p = .025. Non-social media time was not associated with parent talk time, r(63) = -.06, p = .6, or talk
episodes, r(63) = -.03, p = .844. No signicant relationships were observed between smartphone usage and
joint attention. To further analyze mother talk by social media time, social media time was divided into three
user groups: low (M=21 min/day) moderate (M=63), and high (M=169). Mothers in the high social media
group spoke 29.2% less to their children during 10 minutes of play compared to mothers in the low group.
IMPLICATIONS: Results suggest that increased mother smartphone use, particularly social media, may
interfere with the quality of parent-child play interactions, even during periods of non-use. This decreased
parent-child engagement associated with device usage may be considered a phantom form of technoference,
in which higher usage rates have lasting effects on parental communication patterns. More research is
needed to consider possible related factors such as maternal mental health and parent stress.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Stager reports a grant from the Alabama Women’s Commission during the conduct
of the research to be presented (under PI Dr. Scoeld).
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#99
Synchrony Across Screens:
How does Joint Caregiver Sensitivity Shape
Infant Emotional and Attentional Engagement During Video Chat?
ROCHE, ELLEN C.¹, PIPER, DOUG², STROUSE, GABRIELLE A.³,
MYERS, LAUREN J.⁴, ZOSH, JENNIFER M.⁵, TROSETH, GEORGENE⁶, BARR, RACHEL²
BACKGROUND: Infants develop in relationship with caregivers, who vary in their moment-to-moment
sensitivity (warmth and responsiveness toward the infant; Biringen, 2000), which is associated with infant
attentional and affective engagement, key developmental indicators (Tamis-LeMonda et al., 2014). Infants
can learn from and respond emotionally to an across-screen caregiver (Strouse et al., 2018; Roche et al.,
2022), especially with in-person support (Myers et al., 2018), suggesting that real-time synchrony between
caregivers scaffolds infant video chat engagement. This study tests how joint caregiver sensitivity is
dynamically associated with infant attention and affect during infant-parent-grandparent video chats. Joint
attention is critical for language and socioemotional development (Morales et al., 2005), and infant affective
states support learning from caregivers (Laake & Bridgette, 2014). Thus we will test two novel hypotheses:
1) Joint caregiver sensitivity will predict subsequent successful instances of infant joint visual attention
with the across-screen caregiver
2) Joint caregiver sensitivity will predict subsequent periods of infant positive, alert affective states
METHODS: 48 infant-parent-grandparent triads (infants:18 girls; age 9.70 months (SD = 2.57); 5 fathers;
all grandmothers) engaged in semi-naturalistic video chats. Videos were coded every 30s for parent and
grandparent sensitivity (1-9 scale; Biringen et al., 2000); infant affect (1-7; arousal and valence; Posner et al.,
2005); and joint attention (coded each time any participant engaged another (Myers et al., 2024). Coding is
complete; interrater reliability kappas exceeded criterion of .7 for all variables. Joint Caregiver Sensitivity is
calculated by subtracting each caregiver’s sensitivity scores from one another within each 30 second block.
Initial analysis of our data suggests that caregivers were typically no further than 4 points away from each
other on the 9 point scale. Infant Affective State captures calm, alert, neutral to positive affective states. We
will use a binary coding protocol to indicate during each 30-second block whether the infant exhibits neutral
to positive valence (4 - 5 on 7 point scale) concurrent with calm, alert arousal (2 - 4).
RESULTS: These manipulations will result in 30s time series for each family: joint sensitivity (continuous
from -4 to +4); joint attention (binary); and infant affective state (binary). First, we will use a state space
approach (Hollenstein, 2013), to visually depict individual and group-level dynamics. We will then conduct
multilevel, lagged growth curve regressions nesting 30s blocks within sessions, to test whether (h1) joint
sensitivity predicts subsequent instances of infant joint attention and whether (h2) it predicts infant positive,
alert affective states, controlling for each caregiver’s global mean sensitivity (grandparent sample mean: 6.9
(SD: .69); parent sample mean: 7.2 (SD: .65)) during the session and infant age.
IMPLICATIONS: Our ndings will highlight the role of a new construct - joint caregiver sensitivity - in
infant engagement during video chat, an increasingly common digital ecology for development.
COI DISCLOSURE: During the preparation of this analysis, I was compensated by the National Institutes of
Health (F31) and Trust for Learning (salary). Neither relationship construes a conict of interest as neither
organization takes a stance for or against the use of video chat during infancy, the focus of my current
research.
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#100
Parental Mediation of Early Adolescent Media Use:
Latent Profiles and Associations with
Youth Adjustment and Digital Behavior
ROTE, WENDY M.¹, MARTIN, JUSTIN², SONG, STEPHEN²
BACKGROUND: Parents are often tasked with helping children navigate the digital world safely but research
on parental mediation (i.e., media regulation) is inconsistent. Active mediation (discussing media content)
sometimes appears more benecial for youth adjustment than restrictive mediation (setting restrictions; Fam
et al., 2022), but the style of mediation (controlling or autonomy supportive) may be more important than the
type (Padilla-Walker et al., 2020). The current study identies patterns of co-occurring parental mediation
types and styles and explores their relationships with key factors related to youth digital behavior.
METHODS: Participants were 1510 economically diverse 11–13-year-olds (53.5% male; 42.1% White,
20.6% Black, 33.7% Hispanic) from Florida, who completed an online survey in 2024. Youth reported on
their parents’ restrictive, active, controlling, and autonomy supportive mediation (6 items adapted from
Valkenburg et al., 2013). They also reported time spent on devices and platforms, depressive symptoms
(8 items, α = .94, Johnson et al., 2002), anxiety (7 items, α = .93, Spitzer et al., 2006), anger (1 item,
Goodman et al., 1998), perceived technological impairment (6 items, α = .87, Burnell & Odgers, 2023),
online peer victimization (5 items, α = .90, Thomas et al., 2019), and beliefs about free expression (1 item,
Dennis et al. 2019).
RESULTS: Latent prole analysis of the six parental mediation items in Mplus 8.11 indicated a 5-prole
solution: 1) Moderate Mediators (48.2%) – average on all mediation types and styles, 2) High Mediators
(22.7%) high on all mediation types and styles, 3) Low Mediators (11.3%) - low on all mediation types and
styles, 4) Non-Controlling High Mediators (11.0%) - high active and restrictive mediation performed with
low control and high autonomy support, 5) Non-Controlling Active Mediators (6.8%) – high active but
low restrictive mediation performed with low control and high autonomy support. Prole differences in
adjustment and digital behaviors, controlling for child demographics, were compared using the manual 3-step
BCH method in Mplus (Asparouhov & Muthen, 2014). Only differences at the p<.005 level are reported here
to control family wise error across multiple comparisons. Signicant differences emerged across proles
for all variables, χ2(4) = 16.63 – 109.53, ps <.005. Pairwise comparisons (ps < .005) showed that youth from
non-controlling proles reported better psychological adjustment, less technological impairment, and less
peer victimization than others. However, children of Moderate Mediators spent less time on screens during
school days and less time on social media than did children of High Mediators or Non-Controlling Active
mediatiors. Low and Moderate Mediators also believed it was less acceptable to express unpopular ideas
online than other groups.
IMPLICATIONS: Results highlight the importance of combining parental media mediation with a non-
controlling mediation style for supporting youth psychological adjustment. These ndings appear true
regardless of whether such mediation includes restrictions or just active involvement, and do not appear
related to amount of youth screen use. Findings also indicate that high levels of mediation may encourage
youth beliefs in free expression.
COI DISCLOSURE: Funding for the survey came from the endowment that supports the Study PI, Justin
Martin’s position: The Eleanor Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics and Press Policy. The funding source
represents no conict of interest for Martin or any of the other authors of the current manuscript.
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#101
Protective Power of Ethnic Identity:
Video Game Use and Adjustment Among Marginalized Adolescents
SALAZAR, HUGO¹, BRAVO, DIAMOND¹, TYNES, BRENDESHA²
BACKGROUND: Excessive screen time, including video game use, has been linked to poorer adjustment
among marginalized youth. Few studies have examined the protective role of cultural factors, such as ethnic
identity, or the intersecting inuences of gender and race/ethnicity. This longitudinal study tested whether
ethnic identity afrmation, exploration, and resolution moderated the association between video game use
and adjustment over time among Black and Latinx adolescents. Grounded in PVEST and intersectional
frameworks, ndings highlight the critical role of identity in shaping the developmental impact of digital
media. Emerging evidence highlights the protective role of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development in
mitigating risky media contexts, such as online discrimination, and promoting youth adjustment. Grounded
in PVEST and intersectional frameworks, this study posits that adolescents’ ethnic-related perceptions
and experiences shape how media environments affect them. Given the salience of identity development
during adolescence, high ERI may buffer Black and Latinx youth from risks linked to excessive media
use. However, research has yet to examine whether specic ERI components (e.g., resolution, exploration)
moderate these associations. To our knowledge, this is the rst study to examine whether components
of ethnic identity protect Black and Latinx adolescents from risks associated with excessive video game
use. Using an intersectional lens that considers both race/ethnicity and gender, the study offers a nuanced
perspective on youth adjustment. Guided by PVEST, we address two primary questions:
(1) Does time spent playing video games (TPVG) predict adjustment outcomes (e.g., risky online
behaviors, well-being) differently based on ethnic identity development (afrmation, resolution,
exploration)?
(2) How do intersecting identities of race/ethnicity and gender shape these associations?
METHODS: This longitudinal study examined associations between video game playtime, risky behaviors,
and ethnic identity dimensions among 570 adolescents (Mage = 14.58, SD = 2.18) from Midwest middle and
high schools using validated Likert-scale measures.
RESULTS: Ethnic identity afrmation moderated the association between playtime and risky behaviors,
with higher afrmation buffering negative effects. Resolution and exploration did not show signicant
moderating effects. Black adolescents reported lower ERI afrmation (M = 3.55, SD = .58) and resolution (M
= 2.79, SD= .93) than Latinx youth (M = 3.63, SD = .57; M = 2.99, SD = .85), t(550) = -1.69, p = .046; t(550)
= -2.67, p = .004. Males reported lower ERI exploration (M = 2.56, SD = .67) and resolution (M = 2.78, SD =
.89) than females (M = 2.68, SD = .69; M = 2.93, SD = .91), t(549) = -2.04, p = .023; t(549) = -2.01, p = .022.
No multigroup differences by race/ethnicity or gender were found in the focal associations.
COI DISCLOSURE: Research reported for this project was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award
Number R01HD061584.
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#102
Examining the Influence of Educational and
Entertainment Media on the Quality and
Quantity of Mother-Child Language during Coviewing
SAUERMILCH, WILLOW S.¹, IVEY, MICHELLE²
BACKGROUND: As their child’s primary communication partner and teacher, parents play a vital role in
facilitating their child’s language development through the quality and quantity of the verbal models they
provide (Gilkerson et al., 2018; Ramirez-Esparza et al., 2014). Although coviewing provides opportunities to
amplify children’s learning (Nathanson, 2001), a growing body of research shows that the use of media-based
activities (e.g., television, e-books, electronic toys) not only signicantly reduce the quality and quantity
of mother/child communication (Masur et al., 2016; Pempek et al., 2019) but also children’s attainment of
developmental milestones (Marian et al., 2019). Little is known about how education and entertainment
media content inuences the quality and quantity of parent-child communication during coviewing; an aim
the current study addresses.
METHODS: Using a mixed-subject repeated measures design, 40 mother-preschooler dyads (m = 34.56
years, sd = 5.02, 95% Caucasian; m = 4.33 years, sd = 0.81, 55% male respectively) watched episodes of
Martha Speaks (i.e., an animated children’s show designed to build vocabulary skills) and PAW Patrol (i.e., a
children’s animated entertainment show about a crew of dogs who save the day).
RESULTS: Broadly, analysis indicates that when coviewing, mothers took the lead in providing their child
rich-language models used to facilitate language development, specically in terms of linguistic diversity, the
total number of words, and words per minute. Conversely, more complex language models (i.e., mean length
of utterance, utterances per minute) were absent. Further, both types of programs elicited richer language
facilitation measures, albeit in different ways. While dyads produced signicantly more complex language
productions when coviewing Martha Speaks (i.e., type token ratio, mean length of utterance), the quantity of
language production was greater while coviewing PAW Patrol (i.e., total words, words per minute, number of
different words). Lastly, the frequency with which dyads watched educational media content or engaged in
coviewing/active mediation was not predictive of conversational outcomes.
IMPLICATIONS: Findings suggest that mother-child communication during coviewing may be more
complex than that found in the literature, particularly for preschoolers who have acquired the fundamentals
of language development and are rapidly expanding their communication skills. Understanding how media
content itself inuences adult-child interactions around technology may be a missing link in identifying
underlying processes contributing to the negative developmental outcomes associated with excessive screen
time. However, such an endeavor is exceedingly complex given the multitude of user factors (e.g., cognitive
and emotional media processing, developmental level, language processing, parental motivations, and viewer
interest) simultaneously at play during coviewing.
COI DISCLOSURE: Authors have no relevant nancial or nonnancial relationships to disclose.
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#103
Screen Time, Mobile Device Use, and Availability of Books
in Low- and High-Income Brazilian Preschool Children
BETTIO, CLAUDIA D.¹, SCHMIDT, ANDRÉIA¹
BACKGROUND: Most studies on screen use among preschoolers rely on online questionnaires completed by
caregivers, potentially limiting participation from low-income populations. In contexts marked by substantial
social inequality, household income is central in determining access to technology and other resources in
children’s environments. This study examined how household income relates to preschool children’s screen
use, book access, and early vocabulary development.
METHODS: 222 caregivers (91% mothers; 8% fathers) completed a questionnaire, either online or in paper
format. Caregivers’ educational attainment ranged from 5 to 22 years. Monthly per capita income ranged
from USD 10.64 to USD 3,404.03 and was categorized into three groups: low-income (LIP ≤ USD 102.90),
moderate-income (MIP USD 102.90–428.05), and high-income (HIP > USD 428.05). Children’s ages ranged
from 2y:8m to 6y:5m. They were assessed on receptive vocabulary (PPVT-5) and expressive vocabulary
(TVfusp-92r). Participants were recruited from public and private schools (daycare and kindergarten) in
Brazil. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests for group comparisons, Ordinary
Least Squares (OLS) regression for continuous outcomes, and ordered logistic regression for ordinal
outcomes.
RESULTS: A positive correlation was found between income and the number of technologies at home in
high- and moderate-income families (r = 0.52 and r = 0.02, respectively), while a negative correlation was
observed in low-income families (r = –0.41). Despite device access, screen time for children and caregivers
did not differ signicantly across income levels (H = 16.16, p < .001). Caregivers’ screen time signicantly
predicted children’s screen time (β = 0.27, p = .004), with no signicant moderation by income or effects of
caregiver age, gender, or education (ps > .05). Children from both low- (β = –0.26, p = .435) and high-income
(β = –0.26, p = .410) tended to use mobile devices less frequently than those from moderate-income, although
this trend was not statistically signicant (ps > .05). Regarding book access, children from high-income were
less likely to lack age-appropriate books compared to those from moderate-income families (β = –1.82, p
= .022). In contrast, children from low-income were more likely to have limited access (β = 1.22, p = .003).
Caregivers’ reading frequency was a signicant predictor of both expressive and receptive vocabulary (ps
< .01). While no income-related moderation was found for expressive outcomes, an interaction emerged for
receptive vocabulary (PPVT-5), suggesting that the benecial effect of reading was attenuated in low-income
households (β = -2.71 p = 0.00). Caregivers’ education moderated the association between income and
receptive vocabulary, with income exerting a more pronounced effect when caregiver education was lower (β
= –3.05, p = .003). This pattern suggests that higher caregiver education may buffer against income-related
disparities in language development.
COI DISCLOSURE: This research was funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil –
Process # 2023/18021-6.
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#104
Examining the Relationship Between
Smartphone and Tablet Usage and Child Development:
A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Smartkids Cohort Study
SILVA, MICHAEL P.,; DUTRA, RINELLY P.¹, CASTRO, YASMIN¹, CARMO JÚNIOR, DJALMA¹,
CAUMO, DOUGLAS¹, GARCIA, SANDY G.¹, MATTOS; VICENTE G.W.¹, RODRIGUES, PAULO V.¹
BACKGROUND: Excessive screen time has a negative impact on children’s health. The denitions of
screen time used in most studies encompass various technologies without distinguishing specic results for
smartphones and tablets, highlighting the need for studies that focus on these devices. This study veried the
association of smartphone and tablet use with the domains of child development in 24-month-old children in
southern Brazil.
METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis represents a preliminary evaluation of data from the ongoing
SmartKids cohort study, conducted in Rio Grande, southern Brazil. The sample consisted of 388 caregivers
and their respective 24-month-old children. Caregivers answered questions regarding socioeconomic status,
perinatal health, child smartphone/tablet use, and the Brief Dimensional Inventory for Assessing Child
Development (IDADI-B), which evaluates ve domains of child development (cognitive, socioemotional,
language (receptive and expressive), motor (gross and ne), and adaptive behavior). Children were classied
in percentiles for each domain according to their age. The smartphone/tablet exposure (hours/day) was
divided into tertiles. The quantile regressions analyzed the association between smartphone/tablet use and
domains of child development in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses, controlling for children’s sex, skin
color, mother’s educational level, family income, preterm birth, healthy food consumption, children enrolled
in daycare, and TV time. The coefcients represented the median difference in percentile classication
for each change in smartphone/tablet tertile. The p-value <0.05 indicated that the coefcients differed
signicantly from zero.
RESULTS: The sample was composed mainly of female children (52.1%), white skin color (68.4%), and
11.6% were born preterm. Regarding the caregivers, 97.4% were the children’s mothers, 99.3% participated
fully in the child’s care, and 70.1% had at least completed high school. The mean percentile observed for
each domain was: cognitive: 57.5±30.3; socioemotional: 62.2±29.5; receptive language: 65.1±31.4; expressive
language: 52.4±29.9; gross motor: 61.5±28.3; ne motor: 60.8±34.2; and adaptive behavior: 66.7±30.6. In the
unadjusted analysis, smartphone/tablet use was inversely associated with receptive language (Coeff= -7,0,
95%CI= -12.1; -1.9; p=0.007); gross motor (Coeff= -6,0, 95%CI=-11.6; -0.4; p=0.036), and adaptive behavior
(Coeff= -10,0, 95%CI= -18.0; -2.0; p=0.014). The association of smartphones/tablets lost signicance in the
adjusted analysis (receptive language: Coeff= 1.38, 95%CI= -5.19; 7.97; p=0.679; gross motor (Coeff=-0.29,
95%CI=-6.5; -5.9; p=0.925); adaptive behavior (Coeff= -2.4, 95%CI= -8.4; 3.4; p=0.416).
IMPLICATIONS: This preliminary analysis suggests that smartphone/tablet exposure was not associated
with a worse development percentile classication in children aged 24 months after adjusting for
demographic and behavioral child characteristics.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Michael Pereira da Silva reports a grant by the Fundação de
Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS) (Grant number: 23/2551-0000948-0).
Rinelly Dutra, Yasmin Castro, Djalma Carmo Dutra, and Sandy Garcia report scholarships from the
Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel—Brazil (CAPES)—Financing Code 001.
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#105
Investigating the Association between Simultaneous
Screen Use and Academic Motivation:
The Mediating Role of Internalizing Symptoms
SMITH, JONATHAN¹, GUIMOND, FANNY-ALEXANDRA², TIRABOSCHI,
GABRIEL ARANTES¹, MALBOEUF- HURTUBISE, CATHERINE³, MBANGA, REMY⁴,
CHICHEKIAN, TANYA⁵, GARON-CARRIER, GABRIELLE⁶, FITZPATRICK, CAROLINE¹
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that excessive screen time is a risk factor for behavioral and
mental health problems in childhood and adolescence (Eirich et al., 2022; Santos et al., 2023). As a result,
concerns have been raised about the consequences of such a problematic use in various areas of functioning,
including learning (Liu et al., 2022; Tiraboschi et al., under review). However, research examining such
effects is limited and has not paid attention to the implications for various dimensions of academic
motivation. In this presentation, we address this gap in knowledge by examining the association between
simultaneous screen use and various dimensions of academic motivation, considering the experience of
internalizing symptoms as a potential mediating variable.
METHODS: 835 primary school students (grades 4-6) and 711 secondary school students (grades 1-5) were
surveyed about the frequency of their use of multiple screens and their general academic motivation, more
specically their competence beliefs, interest in learning, utility of learning, and mastery and achievement
goal orientations. Their responses were analyzed in two steps. First, simple regressions were conducted to
determine, for each primary and secondary school students, whether the frequency of their use of multiple
screens was associated with their academic motivation. Signicant associations were then re-examined with
simple mediation analyses to determine whether internalizing symptoms might mediate these associations.
RESULTS: The results rst showed that the frequency of use of multiple screens was signicantly associated
with lower competence beliefs, a lower interest in learning, a lower value placed on learning, and a weaker
orientation towards mastery goals, particularly for primary school students. The results also showed an
association with a stronger performance orientation, especially for primary school students. Furthermore,
the results indicated that internalizing symptoms were a signicant mediator of each of the identied
associations, for both primary and secondary students.
IMPLICATIONS: It seems that frequent use of multiple screens may have negative implications for academic
motivation, particularly for younger students. This is reminiscent of evidence that excessive screen time can
lead to a loss of motivation for disconnected activities (Larrieu et al., 2023) and it appears to include learning
activities. It also seems that internalizing symptoms associated with a problematic use may partly explain a
weaker motivation for learning activities. In conclusion, the ndings presented in this presentation provide
additional evidence that excessive screen time may be detrimental to the development and well-being of
children and adolescents.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors declare that they have no known conicts of interest or competing interests
that could have appeared to inuence their work. The authors acknowledge nancial support from the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through the Insight Development Grants Program.
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#106
Parents View Entertainment and Educational Content Dierent:
The Associations of Parental Attitudes and Anxieties
About Their Children’s Futures
ALLYSON L. SNYDER¹, SOFIA V. RHEA¹, & DREW P. CINGEL¹
BACKGROUND: Parents in the United States generally hold positive attitudes toward the effects of media
use for young children (Rideout & Robb, 2020), but these effects vary by type of content (Kirkorian et al.,
2008). Further, parent attitudes differ by race, but it is not clear why these differences emerge. We conducted
three survey studies with parents of three- to seven-year-olds (N = 1,267) that address how parents
conceptualize different types of media. how parents’ anxiety about their children’s futures might inuence
their attitudes, and how race may moderate the relation between anxiety and attitudes.
METHODS and Results: In Study 1, 472 parents (75% White, 54.12% fathers) completed a survey with a
novel measure of attitudes toward children’s entertainment and educational media. Parents responded on a
7-point scale (1 – strongly disagree to 7 – strongly agree) to items such as “It is important for my child to
watch content that is about learning skills they will need such as letters and numbers.” On average, parents
gave educational (M = 5.49, SD = 0.96) and entertainment (M = 5.16, SD = 1.10) positive ratings, but these
ratings were signicantly different from one another (t(922.75) = -4.81, p < .001). In Study 2, 255 parents
(86% White, 58.43% fathers) completed the same attitudes measure as well as a measure about their anxiety
for their children’s futures (7-point scale ranging from 1 – strongly disagree to 7 – strongly agree with four
items such as “I worry that my child’s future economic income and social status will be lower than their
current level”). Parents again differentiated between educational (M = 5.94, SD = 0.88) and entertainment
(M = 5.07, SD = 1.32) media (t(1025.2) = -13.43, p < .001). Further, anxiety was signicantly and positively
associated with attitudes toward both educational (β = 0.20, p = .001) and entertainment (β = 0.24, p <
.001) media, controlling for household income, parent gender, and child gender. In Study 3, 540 parents
(33% White, 14% Hispanic, 23.67% Black, 19.00% Asian; 62.17% fathers) lled out a survey with the same
measures from Studies 1 and 2, but we quota-sampled by race. Race did not moderate the relation between
anxiety and attitudes toward entertainment and educational media consistently (models were run separately
to analyze two racial groups at a time), but did have signicant associations with attitudes as a main effect.
IMPLICATIONS: In all, these three studies demonstrate that parents do differentiate between educational
and entertainment media, and that anxiety about children’s futures is signicantly and positively associated
with attitudes toward both types of media. Race did not signicantly moderate these relations, suggesting
that changing parent attitudes toward children’s media may require intervention on their concerns about
children’s success.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors have no funding nor disclosures to report.
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#107
Aordances Of Smartphone Ownership In Childhood:
A Developmental Approach
STARKS, ALLISON1,2, REICH, STEPHANIE M.1
BACKGROUND: Although most US children start using social media and have their own smartphone by
middle school, the experiences of younger smartphone users are largely understudied despite their unique
developmental needs. In order to move past “one size ts all” conversations about smartphone use in
childhood, a developmental affordances approach (Moreno & Uhls, 2019) is needed to better understand
the relationships between features of digital spaces (e.g. searchability, anonymity, algorithmically-curated)
and child-level experiences. Thus, this study explores (1) how smartphone ownership functions as a
developmental transition point in middle childhood and (2) the ways smartphone access in childhood aligns
with developmental needs and capacities.
METHODS: Nine focus groups were conducted with children ages 8-11 (n=34) at afterschool and summer
programs in California from January to July 2023. Most children identied as Latine (67%) and were from
economically diverse families, with 60% from ‘low to very low income’ households. Focus groups were
audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using rst and second cycle coding methods (Saldaña, 2016). All
procedures and materials were approved by a University Institutional Review Board.
RESULTS: 1) Smartphone as Developmental Transition Point: Over half of children owned their own
smartphone and almost all owned a tablet capable of common smartphone activities (e.g., texting, streaming,
social media, gaming). However, children viewed tablets as less desirable when they believed most of their
peers had smartphones. Although smartphone ownership is often discussed as a discrete moment in time,
children described smartphone ownership as a gradual process with several different pathways to one’s own
phone, ranging from shared devices to restricted accessibility. All children described smartphone ownership
as a developmental milestone, indicating a kind of status to peers and a sense of independence and freedom.
2) Developmental Affordances of Smartphone Ownership in Middle Childhood: Children talked about
unique affordances of smartphones such as increased mobility and connectivity, and how it facilitated
common experiences, such as connection with family and friends, more autonomous behavior, and greater
privacy. Children also described features of popular digital platforms that expanded their social connections,
play, and opportunities to learn across devices (e.g., tablets, laptops, phones). However, these benets were
somewhat overshadowed by the signicant risks they described as inherent in current digital ecosystems.
Risks included contact with unknown others, online harassment, exposure to mature content, and loss of
time due to phone use. These were tied to platform features more than smartphones specically, highlighting
how the lack of online regulation combines with specic features and uses to create risk for children.
Positioned within a developmental affordances framework, these ndings highlight the ways that affordances
of smartphones and digital ecosystems (often facilitated through the smartphone) interact with developmental
needs and capacities to present different risks and opportunities.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Starks and Dr. Reich have nothing to disclose.
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#108
Re-imagining Reading:
How Reluctant Readers Would
Design Their Own Educational Technology
TARE, MEDHA1, LEVY, ALLISYN1, ANGEVINE, COLIN1, YIP, JASON2
BACKGROUND: Only 14% of U.S. students reported reading for fun often in 2023 and average reading
scores have declined for most sub-groups of 8th graders since 2020 (NAEP, 2024). Tackling this crisis in
reading requires considering the whole child and ways that emotions and past experiences with reading could
potentially impact children’s motivation to continue trying to learn.
METHODS: To inform new educational technologies, we use evidence-based approaches to work with
youth directly on product ideation and gather their input and feedback (Druin, 2002). Our research questions
included: “What product experiences would tweens nd motivating, condence-building, and interesting?
What features should it include? What would make it more/less frustrating?” We organized online co-design
sessions with 11 children ages 9-13 from diverse geographic locations and backgrounds (ve Black, three
white, two Latinx, one Asian) who were identied as reluctant readers by their parents. Adult researchers
met with the youth over two evenings for co-design activities honed for online use (Fails et al., 2022). The
activities included co-creating digital scrapbooks about what’s “fun” or “boring,” and how those activities
intersect with reading. Children analyzed existing reading apps for “likes, dislikes and design ideas” and
created their own visions for a reading app that included interesting storylines, reward mechanisms, and
features that would engage and support kids who don’t like to read.
RESULTS: The co-design methods encouraged thoughtful conversations, where the children shared
challenges and barriers to reading, including sitting still to focus, experiencing stress during reading, and
frustration with the choices they’re provided and the time investment that reading requires. Our qualitative
analysis showed several ways to boost older children’s motivation for reading, including dynamic, interesting
content; stories with adventure or that incorporated surprising or weird elements; and ways to “swap out”
content that is not interesting to them. A major theme of our conversations was the stress and anxiety
that reading can cause, from feeling overwhelmed by “big words” or the amount of text to feeling behind
classmates. The kids felt it was important for an app to break the tension they feel around reading – this
could be by providing calming options, such as music, or providing relief through humor. The children also
wanted to see more inclusive digital spaces for them and their peers. One child noted that she wants games
to be “dyslexia-friendly,” explaining that the instructions for a game could be read aloud so that everyone
understands how it works and can enjoy the experience more. Other participants also endorsed “read-aloud”
options that would help to address stress, anxiety, or other learner variability (Tare, Shell, & Jackson, 2022).
IMPLICATIONS: Children are looking for engaging digital experiences in educational technology that are
inclusive, adjustable, and address social-emotional as well as academic needs.
COI DISCLOSURE: This work was funded through a partnership with the Advanced Education Research
& Development Fund, a national nonprot dedicated to advancing research and development in PreK-12
education, inclusively with educators, caregivers, and learners.
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#109
Social Media Monitoring Eicacy
Among Parents of Adolescents in the United States
VIGIL, S.L.1, CINGEL, D.P.1
BACKGROUND: As children and adolescents use increasing amounts of social media, parents’ ability to
appropriately monitor and manage use becomes critical. Parental efcacy has been previously shown to relate
to increasingly positive outcomes for children. Given the importance of parental efcacy in other domains,
this paper aims to determine which (a) parent, (b) child, (c) family, and (d) societal factors are signicantly
related to parents’ social media monitoring efcacy. To this end, we conducted a survey of parents of
8-17-year-olds across the United States (N = 908) in order to examine contributors to overall feelings of
social media monitoring efcacy. Guided by the Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects
Research (DREAMER; Barr et al., 2024) framework, we examine factors across categories including parent
factors, child factors, family factors, and structural factors.
METHODS: Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression.
RESULTS: Regarding parent factors, parent gender was a signicant positive predictor of parental social
media monitoring efcacy, such that fathers reported greater efcacy than mothers. Parent awareness of what
their child does on social media was also a signicant positive predictor, such that parents who possessed
greater awareness reported feeling more efcacious. Regarding child factors, problematic media use was a
signicant negative predictor of parental social media monitoring efcacy, such that greater child problematic
media use related to decreased parental social media monitoring efcacy. Neither child age nor child gender,
were signicantly related to parent social media monitoring efcacy. Regarding family factors, parents’
marital status was not signicantly related to parent social media monitoring efcacy. Existing household
rules surrounding social media was a signicant positive predictor of parental social media monitoring
efcacy, such that parents’ who have more household rules surrounding social media also possess greater
social media monitoring efcacy. Parent-child general conict was a signicant negative predictor of parental
social media monitoring efcacy, such that parents’ who report greater general conict with their child had
lower social media monitoring efcacy. Conversely, parent-child media specic conict was a signicant
positive predictor of parental social media monitoring efcacy, indicating that parents’ who reported more
media specic conict with their child had greater social media monitoring efcacy. Finally, regarding
structural factors, parent income was a signicant negative predictor of parental social media monitoring
efcacy, such that parents with higher incomes reported lower social media monitoring efcacy. Parent
education level was not signicantly related to parental social media monitoring efcacy.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Cingel has been retained as an expert witness in U.S. social media litigation. The
authors declare no further conicts of interest.
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#110
A Latent Profile Analysis Approach to Examining the Nuance in
LGBTQ Teen Phone Use and Related Outcomes: An ABCD Study
FALCIONE WOODMAN, KYLIE¹, WEBER, RENE¹
BACKGROUND: Amid the rising moral panic surrounding social media’s impact on adolescent well-
being, particularly fueled by Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, empirical evidence highlights a
more nuanced reality. Research consistently shows that LGBTQ+ adolescents leverage social media for
identity exploration and peer support (Berger et al., 2022; Di Cesare et al., 2023). This study employs a
critical quantitative lens to explore how socially oriented media use and problematic phone behaviors relate
to internalizing issues, focusing on the intersection of gender (male, female, transgender) and sexuality
(heterosexual, questioning, homosexual).
METHODS: Data were drawn from a sample of 1,237 adolescents (2% transgender, 8% identifying as
lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning) who completed the Effortless Assessment of Risk States (EARS)
portion of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. IEARS provided passive sensing
data, including objective screen time logs and smartphone behavior metrics (e.g., frequency of socially
oriented media app use and typing behaviors). Internalizing issues were assessed using the Child Behavior
Checklist (CBCL) subscale. Screen time questions captured daily duration on socially oriented media
platforms, frequency of app-switching, and problematic phone use patterns. Latent Prole Analysis (LPA)
identied distinct proles of socially oriented media use and related to internalizing issues across different
gender and sexuality groups.
RESULTS: Preliminary ndings identied several distinct media use proles. High engagement with
socially oriented media was associated with elevated internalizing issues. Notably, transgender and sexual
minority adolescents in high-use proles exhibited a greater likelihood of experiencing severe internalizing
symptoms compared to their heterosexual, cisgender peers. However, LGBTQ teens who used more socially
oriented media and engaged through typing behaviors showed lower symptoms of internalizing behaviors.
Further results on the transition patterns are still being analyzed.
IMPLICATIONS: This study underscores the importance of an intersectional, person-centered approach to
understanding adolescent social media use. The ndings challenge one-size-ts-all narratives and emphasize
the need for tailored interventions that account for diverse gender and sexuality identities. By acknowledging
these nuanced proles, we can provide clearer recommendations for parents, practitioners, and policymakers
on promoting digital well-being.
COI DISCLOSURE: The authors are not receiving any outside funding sources to conduct this research.
Nor have any additional nancial conicts of interest.
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#111
From Play to Pay: An International Survey
of Parental Perspectives on In-Game Purchase Mechanisms
ZHANG, JASMINE¹, CZAKÓ, ANDREA²,
KÍRALY, ORSOLYA2,3, BROWNE, DILLON T.¹, DEMETROVICS, ZSOLT2,3
BACKGROUND: Video games are inundated with microtransactions and loot boxes—virtual in-game items
that do not hold real-world monetary value. These purchases are often enticing for players, particularly
children and youth, as they increase social status or provide competitive advantages. The rise of in-game
purchase mechanisms has come alongside reports of children incurring costs in video games without
parental knowledge or permission, suggesting a need for additional efforts to protect children online. Hence,
this survey study examined parental perspectives on microtransactions and loot boxes and their knowledge
of their children’s engagement with in-game spending mechanisms.
METHODS: Participants were 16,801 parents and caregivers (Mage = 41.9 ± 7.3 years, 55.51% female) of
children aged 5–17 (Mage = 10.9 ± 3.5 years; 39.22% female) from across 25 countries, recruited through
convenience sampling (e.g., online advertisements, social media posts, and posters) and research panels.
Respondents completed a 15–20-minute online questionnaire about a wide range of topics pertaining to
their own and their children’s video gaming behaviour, their knowledge about and perspectives on in-game
spending mechanisms, and the extent to which their children have interacted with microtransactions and loot
boxes. Descriptive analyses were conducted to capture trends across the international sample.
RESULTS: The results showed that most parents held some knowledge of in-game purchase mechanisms
(82.01% and 66.71% for microtransactions and loot boxes, respectively), and approximately one in four
(25.98%) reported ever having spent money on these. Regarding parents’ knowledge of children’s in-game
spending, 26.38% reported that their children had access to a form of online payment for making in-game
purchases, whereas 57.72% reported that their children did not have such access and 15.64% were unsure
about whether their children had access. Approximately one-third of parents (34.65%) believed that their
children had spent money on microtransactions, and a lower proportion (19.12%) believed their children had
bought loot boxes. Among these parents, only one in ve (19.58%) reported that their children’s spending
always occurred with their knowledge and permission, and the remaining majority reported that their
children’s spending occurred without parental knowledge or permission at least sometimes. Regarding
caregiver perspectives on in-game spending, most (85.79%) felt that children should be educated about these
mechanisms. Parents also supported the regulation of microtransactions (63.13 %) and loot boxes (71.40),
primarily by government bodies, policymakers, and the gaming industry.
IMPLICATIONS: The ndings underscore the importance of raising parents’ awareness about in-game
purchases to protect children from online nancial harm. There is also a pressing need for policies and
regulations to hold the video gaming industry accountable for predatory monetization practices, particularly
those targeting young players.
COI DISCLOSURE: Jasmine Zhang does not have any conicts of interest to disclose.
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#112
Digital Bonding:
An Examination of Intergenerational Play on Video Chat
NEELY, LUCINDA I.¹, PIPER, DOUGLAS J.¹, AMODIO, LAUREN¹, MYERS, LAUREN J.²,
ZOSH, JENNIFER M.⁴, STROUSE, GABRIELLE⁵, TROSETH, GEORGENE³, BARR, RACHEL¹
BACKGROUND: Infants learn and build connections through back-and-forth communication (Chen et
al., 2023), typically through serve-and-return exchanges during play (Konishi et al., 2014). During the
COVID-19 pandemic, families increasingly relied on video chat to connect with relatives outside the
immediate family (Brown & Greeneld, 2021), providing a unique context to longitudinally examine virtual
play. Although research demonstrates that video chat supports family connections (McClure et al., 2020;
Strouse et al., 2021), little is known about infant co-play in this virtual context. The present study aims to
characterize intergenerational play on video chat and examine predictors of play in this virtual context.
METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of an OSF pre-registered longitudinal study of 48 infant-
parent-grandparent triads (30 male infants, 18 female infants). Each triad participated in three naturalistic
video chats via Zoom. All instances of play across sessions were coded for type (e.g., dancing, singing,
reading) and duration. We coded whether interactions occurred across-screen (e.g., grandma on one side of
the screen playing peekaboo with infant on the other side of the screen) and whether baby was successfully
engaged (e.g., responded by interacting in the play, e.g. smiling, vocalizing). Each child’s video chat
experience was calculated based on the frequency of contact with grandparents relative to the child’s age.
Coding is complete and interrater reliability exceeded kappa = 0.8 for all variables. To capture the variety of
ways in which play unfolds on video chat, we examined three key outcome variables:
• Proportion of Play. The proportion of session time spent in across-screen play, e.g., 0.65 of a session.
• Frequency of Play Bouts. The number of discrete across-screen play instances in each session, e.g., a
family might engage in 10 play bouts by alternating between peekaboo and reading.
• Play Repertoire. The number of distinct across-screen play types the triad engages in during a
session, e.g., peekaboo and reading are two unique play types in the repertoire.
RESULTS: Descriptive analyses reveal variability in play type and duration between families and across
sessions. For example, some activities occupied more time but occurred less frequently (e.g., reading a book
( M=0.19; n = 6)), whereas others happened frequently but for shorter bouts of time (e.g., waving ( M =
0.03; n = 43)). Across-screen play also increased over time (Session 1: M = 0.72; 2: M = 0.77; 3: M = 0.93),
suggesting that infants may engage in more across-screen play with age and experience. Growth curve
modeling will further address predictors (infant age and video chat experience) of the three play outcomes.
IMPLICATIONS: This study examines how intergenerational play unfolds via video chat, highlighting the
potential of digital tools to enhance family relationships and social interactions through play.
COI DISCLOSURE: Dr. Zosh does not report any conicts of interest related to the presented work.
