Daily and average associations of physical activity, social media use, and sleep among adolescent girls during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adolescents' daily lives have been disrupted during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It remains unclear how changes in adolescents' daily physical and social behaviours affect their sleep. The present study examined the daily and average effects of physical activity and social media use (i.e., video chatting, texting, and social networking sites) on adolescent girls' sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescent girls aged 12-17 years (N = 93; 69% White) from a larger longitudinal study completed a 10-day daily diary protocol during state-mandated stay-at-home orders. Girls reported on daily sleep (duration, timing, quality), physical activity, and social media use during COVID-19. Multilevel modelling was used to examine the within- and between-person effects of physical activity and social media on sleep duration, timing, and quality during the 10-day period. Between-person associations indicate that youth with greater social media use (texting, video chatting, and social networking) and less physical activity had later sleep timing across the 10-day study period. Only video chatting was associated with shorter sleep duration. There were no within-person effects of physical activity or social media activities on sleep outcomes. Findings indicate that physical activity and social media use may impact later adolescent sleep timing during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be critical for research to examine the potential long-term costs of delayed sleep timing, and whether targeting specific youth behaviours associated with sleep and circadian disruption improve mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Online `chatting' interviews: An acceptable method for qualitative data collection

Qualitative research methods allow researchers to understand the experiences of patients, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Qualitative research also provides scientists with information about how decisions are made and the aspects of existing interventions. However, to get to obtain this important information, qualitative research requires holistic, rich, and nuanced data that can be analyzed to determine themes, categories, or emerging patterns. Generally, offline or in-person interviews, focus group discussions, and observations are three core approaches to data collection. However, geographical barriers, logistic challenges, and emergency conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic have necessitated the utilization of online interviews, including chatting as an alternative way of collecting data. This editorial aims to discuss the possibility of online chat interviews as an acceptable design in qualitative data collection.

Looking beyond zoom fatigue: The relationship between video chatting and appearance satisfaction in men and women.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a transition to the utilization of video chatting services as the main form of communication for work, family, and friends. However, the repercussions of this change are not fully known, and issues regarding appearance satisfaction are particularly salient. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between video chatting and appearance satisfaction in a sample of men and women. METHOD: The current study utilizes cross-sectional data from 618 participants (Age: M = 33.2; 54.1% women) to evaluate whether average video chat usage predicts appearance satisfaction, and whether this association is dependent upon appearance comparison or self-objectification. RESULTS: Results indicated that individuals who spent more time video chatting reported higher appearance satisfaction. Additionally, appearance comparison and self-objectification were not significant moderators, and the association between video chat usage and appearance satisfaction did not differ based on gender. Usage of the touch-up feature, gallery view, and amount of time spent looking at oneself were associated with appearance comparisons, while adjusting lighting and camera angles and amount of time spent looking at oneself were associated with self-objectification. DISCUSSION: The results may indicate that while overall time spent video chatting may be associated with lower appearance concerns, examination of the usage of specific features on video chatting platforms may be important to assess in the future. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates that overall time spent video chatting may be associated with lower appearance concerns. The usage, however, of specific features on video chatting platforms, such as touch-up feature, gallery view, and amount of time spent looking at oneself were associated with appearance comparisons. Additionally, adjusting lighting and camera angles, and amount of time spent looking at oneself are associated with self-objectification.

Video chatting and appearance satisfaction during COVID-19: Appearance comparisons and self-objectification as moderators.

OBJECTIVE: As video chatting has emerged as a leading form of communication for work, education, and socialization during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to investigate the association between video chatting and appearance satisfaction. METHOD: Participants included women from the United States (n = 438; age: M = 31.3, SD = 12.71) who completed measures examining their use of video chatting services, self-objectification, video chatting appearance comparison, and appearance satisfaction. RESULTS: The total time spent on video chatting services was not associated with appearance satisfaction; however, self-objectification moderated the relationship between total hours of video chatting and appearance satisfaction. In addition, participants who engaged in more video chatting appearance comparisons reported lower face and body satisfaction. Furthermore, video chatting appearance comparison was associated with more frequent usage of certain Zoom features, such as the "touch up my appearance" feature, and more time spent looking at oneself on video calls. Finally, those who spent more time engaged with their families over video chatting services reported greater face and body satisfaction. DISCUSSION: The results of the current study demonstrate that time spent video chatting is not predictive of appearance satisfaction, but that self-objectification can exacerbate these associations.