Television Viewing, Computer Use, and a Hostile Perception of Classmates Among Adolescents From 34 Countries

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship between adolescents’ perception of a lack of classmate support and their individual and their respective culture’s daily amounts of television viewing and computer use. We tested multilevel regression models based on data from the responses of 150 552 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years from 34 cultures who participated in the 2001-2002 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey. Results revealed that the average amount of television viewing in the respective adolescents’ culture explained variation in their perception of a lack of classmate support in addition to their own amount of television viewing. No effect for computer use was found. It appears that, in countries in which a great deal of television is consumed, everyone is affected and not only those who watch a high amount of television. This adds to concerns about television viewing as a significant risk to the health of adolescents.