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The influence of age at first regular digital device access on digital reading performance: the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility

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  • Jie Hu

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Jingdan Hu

    (Zhejiang University)

Abstract

Younger generations are receiving their first regular digital device access at progressively earlier ages than previous generations on average, whereas disparities in their early digital device access are still being observed globally. The inequality of first regular digital device access may have profound long-term effects on one’s information and communication technology (ICT) skills, but no evidence has suggested how unequal first regular digital device access impacts one’s digital reading, which enables one to process and comprehend information in this digitized world. Thus, the current study investigated the relationship between the age at which children first regularly access digital devices and their digital reading performance at age 15 while considering the potential mediating effect of cognitive flexibility. A multilevel mediation model was proposed and tested using data from a cross-national sample of 156,277 15-year-old students from 18 OECD countries from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The results suggested that first regular digital device access after age 9 exerted a negative influence on digital reading scores in countries that generally had high levels of early digital access, and after age 13 in countries that had lower levels of early digital access. Additionally, cognitive flexibility mediated the association between the age at first regularly accessing digital devices and digital reading performance. Starting using digital devices regularly only after age 6, more evident at ages 9 to 12, was associated with lower levels of cognitive flexibility, which in turn led to worse digital reading performance. These findings demonstrated the importance of early first regular access to digital devices before school age (age 6) and highlighted the need for the cultivation of cognitive flexibility in family and school uses of digital devices.

Suggested Citation

  • Jie Hu & Jingdan Hu, 2024. "The influence of age at first regular digital device access on digital reading performance: the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03292-y
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03292-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Seraphim Dempsey & Seán Lyons & Selina McCoy, 2019. "Later is better: mobile phone ownership and child academic development, evidence from a longitudinal study," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(8), pages 798-815, November.
    2. Jianghua Yang & Mengzhu Zhang, 2023. "Beyond structural inequality: a socio-technical approach to the digital divide in the platform environment," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Allan B. I. Bernardo & Ma. Joahna Mante-Estacio, 2023. "Metacognitive reading strategies and its relationship with Filipino high school students’ reading proficiency: insights from the PISA 2018 data," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Katerina Sergi & Ronald Gatewood & Anastasia Elder & Jianzhong Xu, 2017. "Parental perspectives on children’s use of portable digital devices," Behaviour and Information Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(11), pages 1148-1161, November.
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