Adolescents’ Screen Media Entertainment: A Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study

Semen Sebsbie^1,2*Anteneh Tsegaye¹

• ¹Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• ²Kotebe University of Education, Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Adolescents' screen-based entertainment has garnered significant attention in media studies due to its multifaceted implications for academic performance, social relationships, and physical and mental well-being. However, the extent of their entertainment consumption and the interplay of factors affecting screen-based entertainment across devices and timeframes remain underexplored. This study investigates adolescents' Entertainment Media Screen Time (EMST) across various screen-based devices (e.g., televisions, smartphones) and different timeframes (e.g., weekdays). A survey was conducted with a stratified random sample of 720 adolescents from 56 private high schools in Addis Ababa, with participants' ages ranging from 14 to 19. Data were collected between October 18, 2024, and November 15, 2024, using a validated questionnaire (reliability Cronbach's α = 0.814). Statistical analyses comprised Spearman's Rank correlations, Chi-Square tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests with Mann-Whitney tests as post hoc adjustments, applying Bonferroni correction, and the Generalized Ordinal Logistic Regression Model. Results indicated that adolescents engaged in excessive EMST (> 2 hours, as defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Communication and Media et al. (2013) across devices and timeframes at various levels. Smartphones emerged as the dominant medium for adolescents' screen-based entertainment across all timeframes, with 64.6% (on weekdays), 64.8% (on weeknights), and 81.7% (on weekend days) exceeding the two-hour threshold of EMST on these devices. Conversely, television entertainment declined, with 33.1% and 35.7% reporting no entertainment consumption during weekdays and weeknights, respectively. Significant associations were found between EMST and factors such as age, gender, grade level, parental employment, parental education, and family size (p < 0.05). Older adolescents were positively associated with weekday smartphone entertainment (ρ = 0.110, p < 0.01), while negatively correlated with television entertainment on weekend days (ρ = -0.110, p < 0.01). This study elucidates the complex patterns of adolescents' EMST, highlighting the roles of demographic, familial, and socioeconomic factors. Interventions should promote media literacy by raising awareness of the implications of excessive EMST engagement.