Changes in early adolescents’ time use after acquiring their first mobile phone. An empirical test of the displacement hypothesis.

Röhlke, Leo (15 August 2024). Changes in early adolescents’ time use after acquiring their first mobile phone. An empirical test of the displacement hypothesis. (University of Bern Social Sciences Working Paper 49). University of Bern, Department of Social Sciences

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This study empirically tests the displacement hypothesis, examining whether adolescents' mobile phone use displaces time spent on activities that benefit cognitive development and academic performance. Longitudinal time-use data from a sample of Australian early adolescents (ages 10-13) and a difference-in-differences design are used to model the effect of first mobile phone acquisition on allocation of time to various activities. The results challenge the displacement hypothesis, providing no evidence that mobile phone acquisition displaces enrichment, physical activity or sleep time in early adolescence. However, acquiring a mobile phone is associated with a significant reduction in time spent watching TV, movies, or videos. This suggests the rise in adolescent mobile phone use may partly represent shifting away from traditional screen activities rather than displacing cognitively beneficial activities. Guidelines for parents recommending later ages of mobile phone acquisition are unlikely to affect early adolescents’ time spent on non-screen activities.

Item Type:

Working Paper

Division/Institute:

09 Interdisciplinary Units > Interfakultäres Zentrum für Bildungsforschung (ICER) > Zentrum für Bildungsforschung ICER (WISO)

UniBE Contributor:

Röhlke, Leo

Subjects:

300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 370 Education

Series:

University of Bern Social Sciences Working Paper

Publisher:

University of Bern, Department of Social Sciences

Language:

English

Submitter:

Leo Röhlke

Date Deposited:

16 Aug 2024 12:29

Last Modified:

16 Aug 2024 12:31

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Academic performance, difference-in-differences, early adolescents, educational outcomes, enrichment activities, longitudinal data, mobile phones, parental mediation, smartphone use, time displacement, time use.

JEL Classification:

J13, O33

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/199760

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/199760

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