Evolution of screen use among youth between 2012 and 2020 in Switzerland.

AIM: To compare the evolution of screen and Internet use by youths between 2012 and 2020 in Switzerland. METHODS: Cross-sectional studies of 10th-graders (age 13-14) were performed in Switzerland in 2012 and 2020, and compared in bivariate and multivariate analyses on sociodemographic, schooling, physical activity, emotional well-being, and screen use variables. RESULTS: We found that screen use had shifted to smartphones with 71.7 % of youths primarily using this device in 2020 compared to 23.2 % in 2012. In association with this change, young people's screen time had increased dramatically with an odds ratio (OR) of 11.90 for adolescents spending more than 4 h in front of screens in 2020 compared to 2012. No changes were found in the score on the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to detect problematic screen use and for adolescents' emotional well-being. Furthermore, youths in 2020 engaged in less physical activity lasting 60 min daily, but the frequency of their extracurricular sport participation remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Young people spend more time on screens, especially because of an increase in smartphone use in 2020. However, youths do not seem to show more problematic behaviors regarding screen use, nor has this development affected their emotional well-being. The daily and continuous use of new devices is now an integral part of young people's lives. This process seems to be part of the growth of the digital world. However, Internet and screen addiction scales should be adapted to ensure that adolescents in need of help and counseling are identified.

Transition from paediatric to adult care: What about the healthy ones?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the characteristics of and use of the healthcare system by healthy youths depending on whether they had discussed transition to adult health care with their paediatrician or not. METHODS: Data were drawn from the fourth wave of the GenerationFRee study (2018-2019) conducted in the 11 post-mandatory schools of the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. The sample included 931 young people (mean age 19.4 years). Participants were categorised into three groups: those who had discussed transition with their p ediatrician (n = 176; 19%), those who had not (n = 286; 31%) and those who did not know (n = 469; 50%). Analyses were stratified by gender through bivariate analysis and post-hoc tests with a Bonferroni-type adjustment. RESULTS: The majority of participants did not know whether or not they had discussed transition. Across all groups, it was found that youths met their primary care physician at a higher rate through family. Meeting with the primary care physician through the paediatrician occurred at a higher rate when youths had discussed transition. Girls with a below average socioeconomic status and boys with advanced puberty onset were more likely to have discussed transition. CONCLUSION: Our results show that youths are not well informed about the transition process. However, youths who have discussed transition appear to be more involved with the healthcare system as they are more likely to have a primary care provider. In order to avoid discontinuity of care, professionals should approach transition to adult care systematically with all their patients.