Development of a Protocol for Objectively Measuring Digital Device Use in Youth

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Public Health

Background:

• Traditional screen time assessment relies on limited questionnaires.
• Accurate measurement of diverse screen activities is crucial for health research.
• Video-camera footage offers a more objective assessment method.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a coding protocol for identifying screen time from video footage.
• To differentiate between device types and specific screen behaviors.
• To establish the reliability of this novel measurement approach.

Main Methods:

• Video footage of adolescents (10-14 years) using digital devices was captured using wearable and stationary cameras.
• A coding protocol was developed and refined through piloting.
• Inter-rater reliability was assessed using weighted Cohen's kappa on 600 minutes of footage.

Main Results:

• The protocol demonstrated excellent overall reliability for both duration (κ=0.89-0.93) and frequency (κ=0.83-0.86) per sequence.
• High reliability was achieved in differentiating device types (κ=0.92-0.94) and screen activities (κ=0.81-0.87).
• Coder agreement ranged from 91.7% to 98.8% across observed screen use instances.

Conclusions:

• A validated protocol reliably codes adolescent screen activities from video footage.
• This method enhances the accuracy of screen time measurement.
• The protocol holds promise for advancing research on screen time and health outcomes.