IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0253058.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Addictive use of digital devices in young children: Associations with delay discounting, self-control and academic performance

Author

Listed:
  • Tim Schulz van Endert

Abstract

The use of smartphones, tablets and laptops/PCs has become ingrained in adults’ and increasingly in children’s lives, which has sparked a debate about the risk of addiction to digital devices. Previous research has linked specific use of digital devices (e.g. online gaming, smartphone screen time) with impulsive behavior in the context of intertemporal choice among adolescents and adults. However, not much is known about children’s addictive behavior towards digital devices and its relationship to personality factors and academic performance. This study investigated the associations between addictive use of digital devices, self-reported usage duration, delay discounting, self-control and academic success in children aged 10 to 13. Addictive use of digital devices was positively related to delay discounting, but self-control confounded the relationship between the two variables. Furthermore, self-control and self-reported usage duration but not the degree of addictive use predicted the most recent grade average. These findings indicate that children’s problematic behavior towards digital devices compares to other maladaptive behaviors (e.g. substance abuse, pathological gambling) in terms of impulsive choice and point towards the key role self-control seems to play in lowering a potential risk of digital addiction.

Suggested Citation

  • Tim Schulz van Endert, 2021. "Addictive use of digital devices in young children: Associations with delay discounting, self-control and academic performance," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(6), pages 1-12, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0253058
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253058
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0253058
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0253058&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0253058?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. Yu-Hsuan Lin & Li-Ren Chang & Yang-Han Lee & Hsien-Wei Tseng & Terry B J Kuo & Sue-Huei Chen, 2014. "Development and Validation of the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-5, June.
    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. Yang Gyeong Yoo & Min Jeong Lee & Boas Yu & Mi Ra Yun, 2019. "The Effect of Mind Subtraction Meditation on Smartphone Addiction in School Children," Global Journal of Health Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Siew Mooi Ching & Anne Yee & Vasudevan Ramachandran & Sazlyna Mohd Sazlly Lim & Wan Aliaa Wan Sulaiman & Yoke Loong Foo & Fan kee Hoo, 2015. "Validation of a Malay Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale among Medical Students in Malaysia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(10), pages 1-11, October.
    3. Gökçearslan, Şahin & Uluyol, Çelebi & Şahin, Sami, 2018. "Smartphone addiction, cyberloafing, stress and social support among university students: A path analysis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 47-54.
    4. Kiss, Hedvig & Fitzpatrick, Kevin M. & Piko, Bettina F., 2020. "The digital divide: Risk and protective factors and the differences in problematic use of digital devices among Hungarian youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    5. Mutiat Sola ASIYANBI & PROF. Rotimi Adebayo ANIMASAHUN, 2024. "Self-Management Therapy and Creative Problem-Solving Technique on Smartphone Addiction among Public Colleges of Education Students in Oyo State, Nigeria," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(3), pages 1141-1156, March.
    6. Sabakun Naher Shetu & Md. Muzahidul Islam & Sadia Islam Promi, 2022. "An Empirical Investigation of the Continued Usage Intention of Digital Wallets: The Moderating Role of Perceived Technological Innovativeness," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-17, December.
    7. Conchín Simó-Sanz & Mª Luisa Ballestar-Tarín & Antonio Martínez-Sabater, 2018. "Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI): Translation, adaptation and validation of the tool in Spanish adult population," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-12, October.
    8. Elnur Rustamov & Tunzala Musayeva & Xalida Xalilova & Gultekin Ismayilova & Ulviyya Nahmatova, 2023. "Association between Self-Esteem and Smartphone Addiction: The Mediating Role of Self-Control," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 46(1), pages 256-267, August.
    9. Yookyung Eoh & Eunsik Lee & Soo Hyun Park, 2022. "The Relationship between Children’s School Adaptation, Academic Achievement, Happiness, and Problematic Smartphone Usage: A Multiple Informant Moderated Mediating Model," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(6), pages 3579-3593, December.
    10. Jahng, Kyung Eun, 2019. "Maternal abusive parenting and young South Korean adolescents' problematic smartphone use: The moderating effects of time spent hanging out with peers and trusting peer relationships," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 96-104.

    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:pone00:0253058. 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.