Nilsson Anders, Rosendahl Ingvar, Jayaram-Lindström Nitya
Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm County Council, Sweden.
Nordisk Alkohol Nark. 2022 Aug;39(4):347-361. doi: 10.1177/14550725221074997. Epub 2022 Feb 4.
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed life circumstances for adolescents worldwide. With schools being closed and regular activities being cancelled, gaming and social media use are activities that might gain in importance. There is a risk that these online behaviours have negative effects on other important activities, such as being physically active, sleeping, and studying, as well as general well-being. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on gaming and social media use, and its effects on the well-being of adolescents. A total of 1232 adolescents (82.5% female) participated in an anonymous web survey containing questions on gaming, social media use, and perceived negative consequences of gaming and social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results were analysed with a quasi-Poisson regression model. The results indicated an increase in gaming and social media use, which was associated with negative consequences and perceived well-being. A majority of adolescents reported that they used social media more than they felt comfortable with. There were large differences between boys and girls, with girls being more negatively affected across measures. The increase in gaming and social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic might have negative effects on the well-being of adolescents, and on other activities that are important to health. Our interpretation of the findings is that gaming and social media use might partly function as coping mechanisms to deal with stress and/or boredom resulting from COVID-19 restrictions. There is a risk that these coping strategies become maladaptive over time. The restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in an increase in the amount of time adolescents spend gaming and on social media, which might have negative effects on their well-being. This study highlights the urgent need to consider adaptive and healthy coping strategies for adolescents given the pandemic may mean that daily living could continue to be altered in the near future.
新冠疫情极大地改变了全球青少年的生活环境。随着学校关闭和常规活动取消，游戏和社交媒体使用可能变得更加重要。这些线上行为存在对其他重要活动产生负面影响的风险，比如体育锻炼、睡眠、学习以及总体幸福感。本研究的目的是调查新冠疫情对游戏和社交媒体使用的影响，以及其对青少年幸福感的影响。共有1232名青少年（82.5%为女性）参与了一项匿名网络调查，该调查包含关于游戏、社交媒体使用以及新冠疫情期间游戏和社交媒体使用的感知负面后果的问题。结果采用准泊松回归模型进行分析。结果表明游戏和社交媒体使用有所增加，这与负面后果和感知幸福感相关。大多数青少年表示他们使用社交媒体的频率超出了自己感觉舒适的程度。男孩和女孩之间存在很大差异，在各项指标上女孩受到的负面影响更大。新冠疫情期间游戏和社交媒体使用的增加可能会对青少年的幸福感以及其他对健康重要的活动产生负面影响。我们对研究结果的解读是，游戏和社交媒体使用可能部分起到应对机制的作用，以应对新冠疫情限制带来的压力和/或无聊感。随着时间推移，这些应对策略存在变得适应不良的风险。新冠疫情的限制导致青少年花在游戏和社交媒体上的时间增加，这可能会对他们的幸福感产生负面影响。鉴于疫情可能意味着近期日常生活仍将持续改变。这项研究凸显了迫切需要为青少年考虑适应性和健康的应对策略。
