New CPH Tech Policy Brief by DISTRACT researchers
Last week Malene Hornstrup and Kristoffer Albris presented the CPH Tech Policy Brief #7 to CPH Tech Policy Committe at the Crown Princess Mary Center. Exploring the extent to which individuals would like to change their own screen time, which parts of their screen time they would like to change, and what they already do to achieve this, this CPH Tech Policy Brief highlights central findings from a comprehensive survey of the Danish population’s ideals and opinions concerning their own screen time.
The brief, produced by DISTRACT researchers Malene Hornstrup Jespersen, Kristoffer Albris, and Helene Willadsen presents insights from a new study that attempts to deconstruct the concept of screen time and ask which specific types of screen use people are dissatisfied or satisfied with. By asking respondents separately about their use of digital devices, social media platforms, and digital activities and comparing the answers across these categories, the researchers provide a nuanced picture of what people are concerned about when it comes to screen time.
The researchers find that a substantial proportion of the population – especially younger age groups – would like to lower their screen time, yet one fifth of these people take no action at all to do so. They additionally find that many have a multifaceted experience of the impact of digital technologies on their lives, and that there is a varied experience of which types of digital technology use should ideally be decreased. Thereby, the brief aims at informing policy discussions around regulations of digital devices and media with accounts of people’s own concerns about screen time.
Learn more about the CPH Tech Policy Committee and read the full brief here.
The study was conducted by Malene Hornstrup Jespersen (PhD Fellow), Kristoffer Albris (Associate Professor), and Helene Willadsen (Postdoc) from the Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science (SODAS).