IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0310597.html

Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom on adolescent’s time use (CONTRAST study)

Author

Listed:
  • Irina Pokhilenko
  • Emma Frew
  • Marie Murphy
  • Miranda Pallan

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in everyone’s lives, including adolescents. Given that adolescence is a crucial developmental stage, designing strategies to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 on adolescents is critical. Furthermore, there is a growing literature on the relationship between how adolescents spend their time and impact upon health, nutrition, educational attainment and overall well-being outcomes, and the existence of a socioeconomic gradient with how time is allocated. Therefore, this study explored changes in adolescents’ time use during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK and the relationship between these changes and individual-level socioeconomic indicators including family affluence, free school meal eligibility, and food insecurity. Methods: The data were collected from 11-15-year-olds using an online survey, which contained questions on demographic characteristics, socioeconomic indicators, and time use across a range of activities before and during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Changes in time use in relation to socioeconomic indicators were explored using descriptive and regression analysis. Results: 687 adolescents completed the survey. There was an overall decrease in the amount of time spent on school work, an increase in screen time, and an increase in sleep duration during the week. Descriptive analysis showed evidence of inequalities with changes in time use. In adjusted regression analyses, family affluence was associated with a greater increase in time spent on socialising with household members and a decrease in time spent on exercise. Free school meal eligibility and experience of food insecurity were associated with an increase in sleep duration. Discussion: This study contributes to the body of evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people and suggests that some of the pre-lockdown inequalities in time allocation were attenuated as a result of the lockdown. Furthermore, the results underscore the need for longer term surveillance to monitor changes in time use in adolescents to mitigate the impact on outcomes over the life course.

Suggested Citation

  • Irina Pokhilenko & Emma Frew & Marie Murphy & Miranda Pallan, 2025. "Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom on adolescent’s time use (CONTRAST study)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0310597
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310597
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0310597
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0310597&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0310597?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Torbjørn Torsheim & Franco Cavallo & Kate Ann Levin & Christina Schnohr & Joanna Mazur & Birgit Niclasen & Candace Currie, 2016. "Psychometric Validation of the Revised Family Affluence Scale: a Latent Variable Approach," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 9(3), pages 771-784, September.
    2. James Banks & Zoë Oldfield & James P. Smith, 2011. "Childhood Health and Differences in Late-Life Health Outcomes between England and the United States," NBER Chapters, in: Investigations in the Economics of Aging, pages 321-339, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. James Banks & Zoë Oldfield & James P. Smith, 2011. "Childhood Health and Differences in Late-Life Health Outcomes between England and the United States," NBER Chapters,in: Investigations in the Economics of Aging, pages 321-339 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Richard Blundell & Lorraine Dearden & Barbara Sianesi, 2005. "Evaluating the effect of education on earnings: models, methods and results from the National Child Development Survey," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 168(3), pages 473-512, July.
    5. Grewenig, Elisabeth & Lergetporer, Philipp & Werner, Katharina & Woessmann, Ludger & Zierow, Larissa, 2021. "COVID-19 and educational inequality: How school closures affect low- and high-achieving students," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    6. Green, David A. & Craig Riddell, W., 2003. "Literacy and earnings: an investigation of the interaction of cognitive and unobserved skills in earnings generation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 165-184, April.
    7. João Pedro & Amer Hasan & Diana Goldemberg & Koen Geven & Syedah Aroob Iqbal, 2021. "Simulating the Potential Impacts of COVID-19 School Closures on Schooling and Learning Outcomes: A Set of Global Estimates [Tackling Inequity in Education during and after COVID-19]," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 36(1), pages 1-40.
    8. Iceland, John & Bauman, Kurt J., 2007. "Income poverty and material hardship: How strong is the association?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 376-396, June.
    9. Daniel Kardefelt Winther & UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, 2017. "How Does The Time Children Spend Using Digital Technology Impact Their Mental Well-Being, Social Relationships And Physical Activity? An Evidence-Focused Literature Review," Papers indipa925, Innocenti Discussion Papers.
    10. Rees, Gwyther, 2017. "Children's activities and time use: Variations between and within 16 countries," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 78-87.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Angelini, V. & Mierau, J.O., 2012. "Social and economic aspects of childhood health," Research Report 12002-EEF, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    2. Giorgio Brunello & Margherita Fort & Nicole Schneeweis & Rudolf Winter‐Ebmer, 2016. "The Causal Effect of Education on Health: What is the Role of Health Behaviors?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(3), pages 314-336, March.
    3. Carlana, Michela & La Ferrara, Eliana, 2021. "Apart but Connected: Online Tutoring and Student Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic," CEPR Discussion Papers 15761, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Brandt, Martina & Deindl, Christian & Hank, Karsten, 2012. "Tracing the origins of successful aging: The role of childhood conditions and social inequality in explaining later life health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(9), pages 1418-1425.
    5. Lorenzo Alderighi & Rosario M. Ballatore & Marco Tonello, 2026. "Hidden Dropout: Secondary Education (Unseen) Failure in Pandemic Times," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(1), pages 69-99.
    6. Kóczán, Zs., 2024. "Lasting scars: The long-term effects of school closures on earnings," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    7. Shinsuke Asakawa & Fumio Ohtake, 2021. "Impact of Temporary School Closure Due to COVID-19 on the Academic Achievement of Elementary School Students," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 21-14, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    8. Boruchowicz, Cynthia & Parker, Susan W. & Robbins, Lindsay, 2022. "Time use of youth during a pandemic: Evidence from Mexico," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    9. Angelini, Viola & Mierau, Jochen O., 2014. "Born at the right time? Childhood health and the business cycle," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 35-43.
    10. Matías Ciaschi & Johanna Fajardo-Gonzalez & Mariana Viollaz, 2025. "Navigating educational disruptions: the gender divide in parental involvement and children’s learning outcomes," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1113-1132, September.
    11. Heidmann, Laure & Neirac, Lucie & Andreu, Sandra & Conceiçao, Pierre & Eteve, Yann & Fabre, Marianne & Vourc'h, Ronan, 2023. "Delayed learning to read and write during the COVID-19 pandemic: longitudinal study of the heterogeneous effects on all first graders in France," SocArXiv qn9a8, Center for Open Science.
    12. repec:dgr:rugsom:12002-eef is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Sauerwein, Markus N. & Rees, Gwyther, 2020. "How children spend their out-of-school time – A comparative view across 14 countries," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    14. Levine, M.E. & Cole, S.W. & Weir, D.R. & Crimmins, E.M., 2015. "Childhood and later life stressors and increased inflammatory gene expression at older ages," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 16-22.
    15. Lauren Hoehn-Velasco & Adan Silverio-Murillo & Jose Roberto Balmori de la Miyar & Jacob Penglase, 2022. "The impact of the COVID-19 recession on Mexican households: evidence from employment and time use for men, women, and children," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 763-797, September.
    16. Guilherme Lichand & Carlos Alberto Doria & Onicio Leal-Neto & João Paulo Cossi Fernandes, 2022. "The impacts of remote learning in secondary education during the pandemic in Brazil," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(8), pages 1079-1086, August.
    17. Moritz Breit & Vsevolod Scherrer & Joshua Blickle & Franzis Preckel, 2023. "Students’ intelligence test results after six and sixteen months of irregular schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(3), pages 1-25, March.
    18. McGovern, Mark E., 2014. "Comparing the relationship between stature and later life health in six low and middle income countries," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 4(C), pages 128-148.
    19. Brunello, Giorgio & Fort, Margherita & Schneeweis, Nicole & Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf, 2011. "The Causal Effect of Education on Health," Economics Series 280, Institute for Advanced Studies.
    20. Qing Wang & Jay J. Shen, 2016. "Childhood Health Status and Adulthood Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity in Rural China: Are They Related?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-10, June.
    21. Haas, Steven A. & Oi, Katsuya, 2018. "The developmental origins of health and disease in international perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 123-133.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0310597. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.