Virtual: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7905645674
Codi: 1984

Title: Digital Divides and Adolescent Well-Being Outcomes: Examining Heterogeneous Effects

Abstract:

Adolescent digital access and engagement with online mobile technologies has intensified dramatically over recent years. These major digital transformations in adolescents’ lives have carried both opportunities –such as unique forms of learning and social connectedness– and risks –such as dangers of internet addiction and cyberbullying–. This presentation will address theoretically and empirically the impact of internet access and digital use on adolescent well-being outcomes, focusing on heterogeneous effects across different population groups. I will structure my presentation in three parts. First, I will present a novel conceptual approach to investigate how digital divides are currently shaping adolescent well-being outcomes across demographic and socioeconomic groups. Second, I will examine the impact of internet access on adolescent outcomes. I will do so by applying a quasi-experimental sibling fixed-effects approach to Norwegian registry data to assess how the gradual expansion of broadband internet impacted students’ schooling outcomes across different population groups. Third, I will examine how child and adolescent digital use shapes unequal mental well-being outcomes. This question will be answered by investigating specifically the role of digital maturity and digital parental mediation strategies, using latent-class and structural equation modelling techniques applied to Irish cross-sectional and longitudinal data.