ICT Use and Children’s Self-reported Life Satisfaction

Abstract

AbstractIn this chapter, we use the Children’s Worlds database to investigate how ICT affects children’s subjective well-being in Europe, and whether its use crowds out other activities, which could have an impact on how satisfied children are with their own lives. The survey queries 8-, 10-, and 12-year-old children regarding their daily routine and activities, use of time, and the extent to which they agree with several statements. The questionnaire also includes information on their social, economic, and demographic background and, most importantly for our research, their self-assessed well-being and thoughts on ICT usage. First, we find that a higher frequency of playing electronic games, using social media, and having Internet access and/or a mobile phone is positively associated with overall subjective well-being. Second, we find no evidence of any crowd-out effects—that is children who spend more time with digital devices do not report that they devote any less time to other activities. Finally, we document the fact that the use of digital technologies is positively related to satisfaction with the amount of free time they have and with their use of time. These results are generally not consistent with the main takeaways from causal studies which highlight the importance of further research on this area.