Psychometric Properties of Screening Instruments for Social Network Use Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Children and adolescents spend considerable time on the internet, which makes them a highly vulnerable group for the development of problematic usage patterns. A variety of screening methods have already been developed and validated for social network use disorder (SNUD); however, a systematic review of SNUD in younger age groups has not been performed. Objective: To review published reports on screening tools assessing SNUD in children and adolescents with a maximum mean age of 18.9 years. Evidence Review: To identify instruments for the assessment of SNUD, a systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycArticles, and Scopus. The final search took place on May 2, 2022. Psychometric properties of available tools were examined and evaluated to derive recommendations for suitable instruments for individuals up to 18 years of age. Findings: A total of 5746 publications were identified, of which 2155 were excluded as duplicates. Of the remaining 3591 nonredundant publications, 3411 studies were assessed as not relevant after title and abstract screening. A full-text analysis of 180 remaining studies classified as potentially eligible resulted in a final inclusion of 29 studies revealing validation evidence for a total of 19 tools. The study quality was mostly moderate. With regard to validation frequency, 3 tools exhibited the largest evidence base: Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), the short version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale-Short Form (BSMAS-SF). Among these, 1 study tested a parental version (SMDS-P) for its psychometric properties. Taking all criteria into account, the strongest recommendation was made for the SMDS and BSMAS-SF. Conclusions and Relevance: Results suggest that the SMDS-SF and BSMAS-SF were appropriate screening measures for SNUD. Advantages of the SMDS are the availability of a short version and the possibility of an external parental rating.

From screen time to the digital level of analysis: a scoping review of measures for digital media use in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: This scoping review aims to facilitate psychometric developments in the field of digital media usage and well-being in young people by (1) identifying core concepts in the area of "screen time" and digital media use in children, adolescents, and young adults, (2) synthesising existing research paradigms and measurement tools that quantify these dimensions, and (3) highlighting important areas of need to guide future measure development. DESIGN: A scoping review of 140 sources (126 database, 14 grey literature) published between 2014 and 2019 yielded 162 measurement tools across a range of domains, users, and cultures. Database sources from Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Scopus were extracted, in addition to grey literature obtained from knowledge experts and organisations relevant to digital media use in children. To be included, the source had to: (1) be an empirical investigation or present original research, (2) investigate a sample/target population that included children or young persons between the ages of 0 and 25 years of age, and (3) include at least one assessment method for measuring digital media use. Reviews, editorials, letters, comments and animal model studies were all excluded. MEASURES: Basic information, level of risk of bias, study setting, paradigm, data type, digital media type, device, usage characteristics, applications or websites, sample characteristics, recruitment methods, measurement tool information, reliability and validity. RESULTS: Significant variability in nomenclature surrounding problematic use and criteria for identifying clinical impairment was discovered. Moreover, there was a paucity of measures in key domains, including tools for young children, whole families, disadvantaged groups, and for certain patterns and types of usage. CONCLUSION: This knowledge synthesis exercise highlights the need for the widespread development and implementation of comprehensive, multi-method, multilevel, and multi-informant measurement suites.

From 'screen time' to the digital level of analysis: protocol for a scoping review of digital media use in children and adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Research on the relationship between digital media exposure and child development is complex, inconsistent and fraught with debate. A highlighted area of inadequacy surrounds the methodological limitations of measuring digital media use for both researchers and clinicians, alike. This protocol aims to (1) identify core concepts in the area of screen time and digital media use in children and adolescents (2) map existing research paradigms and screening/measurement tools that serve to underpin and operationalise core concepts and (3) provide an initial step in integrating these findings into a consolidated screening toolkit. It is expected this enterprise will help advance research and clinical evaluation in fields concerned with digital media use, namely medicine, child development and the social sciences. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The planned scoping review will search relevant electronic databases, including Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Scopus, in addition to grey literature. All empirical investigations and presentation of original research will be considered, and measurement/screening tools for digital media usage in children and adolescents will be identified and reported on. Two reviewers will pilot test the screening criteria, and data extraction forms prior to independently screening all relevant literature and extracting the data. A three-stage synthesis process will be used to map the existent measurement and screening tools for digital media usage in children and adolescents. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: There are no ethical considerations for this scoping review. Plans for dissemination include publication in a top-tier, open-access journal, public presentations and conference proceedings. Presentation of the full scoping review has been accepted to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 66th Annual Meeting.