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Journal article

The COVID-19 school closure effect on students’ print and digital leisure reading

AUTHOR(S)
Baoqi Sun; Chin Ee Loh; Youyan Nie

Published: April 2021 Journal: Computers and Education Open

Adopting an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, this study examined Singaporean primary school students’ changes in reading enjoyment, reading amount, and their access to resources in print and digital formats during the COVID-19 school closure. Survey data showed reading was a more preferred leisure activity during the school closure. Students’ reading enjoyment prior to the closure was positively correlated with changes in their reading enjoyment and reading amount during the closure, for both print and digital formats. Despite the ubiquity of devices, devices were underutilised for reading purposes. Students demonstrated a clear preference for print reading over reading digitally both before and during the school closure and relied more on home than online resources for reading materials. Changes in time spent on devices during school closure were not related to changes in digital reading amount, but negatively related to changes in reading enjoyment and print reading amount over the same period, suggesting more time on devices may not naturally lead to more reading digitally.

Journal article

The mediating role of social internet use on the correlation of parental efficacy, peer influence and social functioning of adolescents in the current era

AUTHOR(S)
Kehinde Lawrence

Published: April 2021 Journal: Current Research in Behavioral Sciences

The goal of this study was to examine the mediating role of social internet use on the correlation of parental efficacy, peer influence and social functioning of adolescents. Methodologically, data was collected from a sample of 496 adolescents (Male = 18.5%; Female = 81.5%, M age = 15.9), the idea that the relationship between parental efficacy, peer influence and social functioning of adolescents could be influenced by the mediating power of social internet use was tested.

Journal article

Loneliness and problematic mobile phone use among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: the roles of escape motivation and self-control

AUTHOR(S)
Jiayu Li; Danni Zhan; Yuhong Zhou (et al.)

Published: March 2021 Journal: Addictive Behaviors

This cross-sectional study explored the relationship between loneliness and problematic mobile phone use among Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the effects of escape motivation and self-control. 1034 adolescents (mean age 15.76 ± 1.20 years) from China have been recruited. The results showed that loneliness was positively associated with escape motivation and adolescent problematic mobile phone use.

Evidence Synthesis and other Reviews

A literature review of the effects of social networking sites on secondary school students’ academic achievement

AUTHOR(S)
Melese Astatke; Cathy Weng; Sufen Chen

Published: February 2021 Journal: Interactive Learning Environments

Due to COVID- 19 pandemic, schools all over the world have gone from full face-to-face to online lessons. This paper analyzed the influences of social networking sites (SNS) on secondary school students’ academic achievement. The original studies were extracted from the Web of Science database, and the review of the 27 selected journal articles revealed that the use of SNS is both positively and negatively related to secondary school students’ academic achievement. However, it was found that few studies have reported the positive impacts of SNS use on students’ academic achievement. On the contrary, several studies have shown that excessive usage of SNS, inappropriate SNS use, and usage of SNS for other recreational activities instead of educational purposes harmed students’ academic achievement.

Cite this research | Open access | Language: English | Topics: Education | Tags: COVID-19 response, lockdown, remote learning, social media, social distance

Journal article

Supporting youth 12–24 during the COVID-19 pandemic: how Foundry is mobilizing to provide information, resources and hope across the province of British Columbia

AUTHOR(S)
Marco Antonio Zenone; Michelle Cianfrone; Rebecca Sharma (et al.)

Published: February 2021 Journal: Global Health Promotion

Foundry is a province-wide network of integrated health and social service centres for young people aged 12–24 in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Online resources and virtual care broaden Foundry’s reach. Its online platform – foundrybc.ca – offers information and resources on topics such as mental health, sexual wellness, life skills, and other content suggested by youth and young adults. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant and unique challenges to the youth and their families/caregivers served by Foundry. Disruptions to school, access to essential healthcare services such as counselling, familial financial security and related consequences has left young people with heightened anxiety. The Foundry team mobilized to respond to these extenuating circumstances and support BC youth and their families/caregivers during this hard time.

Journal article

Advancing measurement and research on youths’ prosocial behavior in the digital age

AUTHOR(S)
Emma Armstrong‐Carter; Eva H. Telzer

Published: January 2021 Journal: Child Development Perspectives

Widespread access to digital and social media has drastically altered the nature of youth’s interpersonal connections. In this context, the opportunities children and adolescents have to help people around them are rapidly evolving. This article reviewed emerging literature on how digital media influences youth’s prosocial development in new ways. Then it proposed the next steps for advancing the field’s understanding of youth’s prosocial behavior in the digital age.

Cite this research | Open access | Language: English | Topics: Social Protection, Well-being and Equity | Tags: social behaviour, child well-being, adolescent well-being, COVID-19 response, social media

Commentaries and Think Pieces

Real-time communication: creating a path to COVID-19 public health activism in adolescents using social media

AUTHOR(S)
Kunmi Sobowale; Heather Hilliard; Martha J. Ignaszewski (et al.)

Published: December 2020 Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

The COVID-19 pandemic and related public health efforts limiting in-person social interactions present unique challenges to adolescents. Social media, which is widely used by adolescents, presents an opportunity to counteract these challenges and promote adolescent health and public health activism. However, public health organizations and officials underuse social media to communicate with adolescents. Using well-established risk communication strategies and insights from adolescent development and human-computer interaction literature, we identify current efforts and gaps, and propose recommendations to advance the use of social media risk communication for adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and future disasters.

Journal article

Social media use and monitoring for adolescents with depression and implications for the COVID-19 pandemic: qualitative study of parent and child perspectives

AUTHOR(S)
Candice Biernesser; Gerald Montano; Elizabeth Miller (et al.)

Published: December 2020 Journal: JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting

Although youth report many positive experiences with social media (SM) use in their daily lives, adolescents with depression are more vulnerable to the risks of SM use than adolescents without depression. Parents protect adolescents with depression from the risks of SM use by monitoring their child’s SM activity; however, this comes into conflict with the adolescent’s need for autonomy in their web-based communication. The implications of SM use and monitoring for adolescents with depression and their parents are of particular relevance to the COVID-19 pandemic, as rates of SM use have increased in response to physical distancing measures. Objective: This study aims to explore parent and child perspectives regarding the use and function of SM in the daily lives of adolescents with depression and parents’ perceptions of and experience with monitoring their child’s SM use.

Policy brief

COVID-19: digital and remote approaches in eliminating female genital mutilation and child marriage

Institution: *UNICEF
Published: November 2020

This brief is designed to support country programmes to conduct quality, evidence-based, meaningful and measurable engagement for prevention of harmful practices programming, even when interpersonal communication is not possible. In particular, this note will provide insights to the use of digital communications resources, since physical distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic have further strengthened reliance on mass media, social media and mobile technology as a way of reaching and engaging with intended audiences.

Journal article

Digital literacy as a condition for positive experience of the COVID-19 lockdown for families with preschool children

AUTHOR(S)
G. V. Pavlenko; A. I. Pavlenko

Published: November 2020 Journal: Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research

Today the COVID-19 pandemic consequences for the preschool education system is one of the most popular research topics, as the lockdown led to serious disruptions to the usual way of family life that is a key condition for the normal development of a child. In Russia, a typical reaction of the authorities to the pandemic was the massive closure of childcare enterprises, that gave many families an additional burden in the form of the task of mastering the preschool education program. In this situation, digital technologies are of particular importance for the successful organization of preschool education in the family and the preservation of an emotionally positive tone in the family, according to the authors of this paper, the educational potential of which depends on how much the preschool child and his family are involved in them. Based on the results of the study, the authors conclude that digital literacy of family members is one of the conditions for a positive experience of the COVID-19 lockdown for families with preschool children.

Journal article

The hidden pandemic of family violence during COVID-19: unsupervised learning of tweets

AUTHOR(S)
Jia Xue; Junxiang Chen; Chen Chen (et al.)

Published: November 2020 Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Family violence (including intimate partner violence/domestic violence, child abuse, and elder abuse) is a hidden pandemic happening alongside COVID-19. The rates of family violence are rising fast, and women and children are disproportionately affected and vulnerable during this time. This study aims to provide a large-scale analysis of public discourse on family violence and the COVID-19 pandemic on Twitter.

Cite this research | Open access | Language: English | Topics: Social Protection, Well-being and Equity, Child Protection, Mental Health | Tags: child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, gender based violence, COVID-19 response, lockdown, social media

Journal article

Barriers to distance learning during the COVID-19 outbreak: A qualitative review from parents’ perspective

AUTHOR(S)
Sawsan Abuhammad

Published: November 2020 Journal: Heliyon

The goal of this study was to review the content posted in available local Jordanian Facebook groups to explore the perceptions of parents regarding the challenges of distance learning faced by their children during the coronavirus outbreak in Jordan. The Facebook search engine was used to identify local Facebook groups. The search keywords included distance learning, parents, and Jordan. Several faculty professors reviewed the posts and discussion flow on distance learning posted in Facebook groups from March 15th to April 25th 2020.

Journal article

Using social media data for assessing children’s exposure to violence during the COVID-19 pandemic (article)

AUTHOR(S)
Pouria Babvey; Fernanda Capela; Claudia Cappa (et al.)

Published: September 2020 Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect

There are concerns that the COVID-19 crisis and the measures adopted by countries in response to the pandemic may have led to an upsurge in violence against children. Added stressors placed on caregivers, economic uncertainty, job loss or disruption to livelihoods and social isolation may have led to a rise in children’s experience of violence in the home. Extended online presence by children may have resulted in increased exposure to abusive content and cyberbullying.

Journal article

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on internet use and escapism in adolescents

AUTHOR(S)
Blossom Fernandes; Urmi Nanda Biswas; Roseann Tan-Mansukhani (et al.)

Published: September 2020 Journal: Revista de Psicología Clínica con Niños y Adolescentes

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on everyday functioning, considerable measures being taken to reduce the spread of the virus. Schools and social avenues have been placed on prolonged lockdowns, with people continuing to maintain physical distance. Adolescents and young people have had to endure significant stress alongside dealing with developmental characteristics. Amidst all of this, studies report an increase in gaming addiction and internet use with detrimental impact on psychosocial well-being. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of lockdown on internet use in adolescents, comparing their habits from before the pandemic. Furthermore, this research aimed to investigate the relationship between gaming addiction, internet use and COVID-19 worries. Adolescents from several countries (e.g., India, Malaysia, Mexico and the UK) completed online questionnaires, shared via social media and youth networks. These measures included questions on internet, social media, gaming, depression, loneliness, escapism and COVID-19. Results show that adolescents generally have increased their use of social media sites and streaming services.

Cite this research | No. of pages: 59-65 | Language: Spanish | Topics: Health, Mental Health, Education | Tags: behavioural change, adolescent health, adolescent psychology, adolescent well-being, COVID-19 response, lockdown, social media, multi-country, social distance

Research brief

Sleep and screen time among adolescents during COVID-19

AUTHOR(S)
Kelly Janssens

Published: September 2020

The purpose of this study was to understand how both sleeping habits and smartphone use changed among adolescents between January 2020 to July 2020.

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UNICEF Innocenti's Children and COVID-19 Library is a database collecting research from around the world on COVID-19 and its impacts on children and adolescents.

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