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Sociodemographic factors and social media use in 9-year-old children: the Generation R Study

Yueyue You1,2, Junwen Yang-Huang1,2, Hein Raat2

  • 1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

BMC Public Health
|October 31, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, including those with less educated mothers or from single-parent or financially struggling families, show higher exposure to instant messaging and social network sites. This highlights disparities in digital media engagement among young children.

Area of Science:

  • Sociology
  • Public Health
  • Digital Media Studies

Background:

  • Investigating the relationship between sociodemographic factors and digital media use in children is crucial for understanding health and social disparities.
  • Early childhood exposure to online platforms can shape developmental trajectories and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the associations between sociodemographic factors and exposure to instant messaging (IM) and social network sites (SNS) among 9-year-old children.
  • To identify specific socioeconomic indicators linked to higher digital media engagement in early adolescence.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 4568 children in the population-based Generation R study in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
  • Defined IM exposure as use of online chat applications (e.g., WhatsApp) and SNS exposure as use of platforms (e.g., Facebook).
  • Employed multiple logistic regression analyses, adjusting for relevant covariates to determine associations.

Main Results:

  • Children of mothers with lower educational attainment had significantly higher odds of IM (OR: 1.44) and SNS exposure (OR: 1.73).
  • Being from a single-parent family was associated with increased odds for both IM (OR: 1.48) and SNS exposure (OR: 1.34).
  • Lower paternal education and family financial difficulties were linked to higher odds of SNS exposure (ORs: 1.48 and 1.28, respectively).

Conclusions:

  • Indicators of lower socioeconomic position are associated with increased exposure to IM and SNS among 9-year-old children.
  • Findings suggest potential digital divides related to socioeconomic status in early digital media engagement.
  • Further research is recommended to explore determinants and impacts of social media use in younger populations.
Abstract

Keywords:
Healthy social media use;Instant messagingSocial network siteSociodemographic inequalityYoung children

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