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A Comparative Time-Diary Analysis of UK and US Children’s Screen Time and Device Use

Author

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  • Killian Mullan

    (Aston University)

  • Sandra L. Hofferth

    (University of Maryland)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of the time school-age children 8-17 years in the UK and the US spent using devices such as smartphones and tablets, and their time in screen-based activities such as watching TV and playing videogames in 2014-15. The paper draws on innovative instruments measuring children’s time using technology and engaging with screens in these two countries. We find that in both, children’s time using devices overlaps with time in screen-based activities, non-screen leisure, and non-leisure activities. Children in the UK spend more time using devices than children in the US, but family size and the availability of an internet connection at home largely explain major cross-national differences. Children in the US spend less time using computers than children in the UK, and, on non-school days, more time watching TV and playing videogames. These differences remain significant after controlling for a range of child, parent and family-level characteristics. Divergent cross-national patterns for children’s time using relatively new devices and their time in more established screen-based activities are linked to differences in family composition and to differential access.

Suggested Citation

  • Killian Mullan & Sandra L. Hofferth, 2022. "A Comparative Time-Diary Analysis of UK and US Children’s Screen Time and Device Use," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(3), pages 795-818, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:chinre:v:15:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s12187-021-09884-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s12187-021-09884-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stewart, Jay, 2013. "Tobit or not Tobit?," Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, IOS Press, issue 3, pages 263-290.
    2. Gershuny, Jonathan, 2000. "Changing Times: Work and Leisure in Postindustrial Society," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198287872, Decembrie.
    3. Killian Mullan, 2018. "Technology and Children’s Screen-Based Activities in the UK: The Story of the Millennium So Far," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(6), pages 1781-1800, December.
    4. 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.
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    Cited by:

    1. Smyth, Emer, 2022. "The changing social worlds of 9-year-olds," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS151, June.

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