Adolescents are constantly connected with each other and the digital landscape through a myriad of screen media devices. Unprecedented access to the wider world and hence a variety of activities, particularly since the introduction of mobile technology, has given rise to questions regarding the impact of this changing media environment on the mental health of young people. Depressive symptoms are one of the most common disabling health issues in adolescence and although research has examined associations between screen use and symptoms of depression, longitudinal investigations are rare and fewer still consider trajectories of change in symptoms. Given the plethora of devices and normalisation of their use, understanding potential longitudinal associations with mental health is crucial. A sample of 1,749 (47% female) adolescents (10–17 years) participated in six waves of data collection over two years. Symptoms of depression, time spent on screens, and on separate screen activities (social networking, gaming, web browsing, TV/passive) were self-reported. Latent growth curve modelling revealed three trajectories of depressive symptoms (low-stable, high-decreasing, and low-increasing) and there were important differences across these groups on screen use. Some small, positive associations were evident between depressive symptoms and later screen use, and between screen use and later depressive symptoms. However, a Random Intercept Cross Lagged Panel Model revealed no consistent support for a longitudinal association. The study highlights the importance of considering differential trajectories of depressive symptoms and specific forms of screen activity to understand these relationships.

BackgroundPaediatric recommendations to limit children’s and adolescents’ screen based media use (SBMU) to less than two hours per day appear to have gone unheeded. Given the associated adverse physical and mental health outcomes of SBMU it is understandable that concern is growing worldwide. However, because the majority of studies measuring SBMU have focused on TV viewing, computer use, video game playing, or a combination of these the true extent of total SBMU (including non-sedentary hand held devices) and time spent on specific screen activities remains relatively unknown. This study assesses the amount of time Australian children and adolescents spend on all types of screens and specific screen activities.MethodsWe administered an online instrument specifically developed to gather data on all types of SBMU and SBMU activities to 2,620 (1373 males and 1247 females) 8 to 16 year olds from 25 Australian government and non-government primary and secondary schools.ResultsWe found that 45% of 8 year olds to 80% of 16 year olds exceeded the recommended < 2 hours per day for SBMU. A series of hierarchical linear models demonstrated different relationships between the degree to which total SBMU and SBMU on specific activities (TV viewing, Gaming, Social Networking, and Web Use) exceeded the < 2 hours recommendation in relation to sex and age.ConclusionsCurrent paediatric recommendations pertaining to SBMU may no longer be tenable because screen based media are central in the everyday lives of children and adolescents. In any reappraisal of SBMU exposure times, researchers, educators and health professionals need to take cognizance of the extent to which SBMU differs across specific screen activity, sex, and age.

Introduction: Longitudinal research examining the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) school closures on the mental health of adolescents is scarce. Prolonged periods of physical and social isolation because of such restrictions may have impacted heavily on adolescents' mental health and loneliness. Methods: The current study addresses a major gap by examining the impact of school closures on the mental health and loneliness of 785, 10-to 17-year-old Western Australian adolescents (mean age = 14.1, SD = 1.31), who were surveyed across four time points: twice before COVID-19, once as schools closed, and once post reopening of schools. Pre-and post-COVID-19 changes in mental health and loneliness were compared using linear mixed models. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) assessed temporal associations between loneliness, depression symptoms, and positive mental wellbeing. Results: Compared with pre-COVID-19 symptom levels, there were significant increases in depression symptoms, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and a significant decrease in positive mental wellbeing at different points over time. Symptom change over time differed according to gender and pre-COVID-19 symptom severity. Significant increases in positive attitudes towards being alone and feelings of isolation occurred at different points over time. Gender differences were evident. RI-CLPMs highlighted the predictive significance of friendship quality and having a negative attitude towards being alone over time in relation to depression symptoms. A positive or negative attitude towards being alone was predictive of positive mental wellbeing over time. Conclusion: Findings provide evidence that COVID-19-related school closures adversely affected adolescents' mental health and feelings of loneliness.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organisation (2020. Within days, the Western Australian (WA) government implemented disease containment measures to slow the potential spread of the virus. On March 24, 2020, the WA government initiated a phased border restriction policy, which within 2 weeks culminated in a "hard border," preventing persons from other Australian states or international countries entering WA. Already the most isolated capital city in the world, Perth was now effectively completely isolated. Parents were subsequently advised to keep their children at home as schools closed.

Background: The heightened levels of peer relationship difficulties associated with Attention Deficient/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) potentially predispose adolescents to feelings of loneliness and depressive symptoms. The current study explores whether feelings of loneliness mediate the effects of ADHD on depressive symptoms. Method: Eighty-four adolescents (Mage = 13.01 years, 75% Male) in Western Australian schools completed mental health and wellbeing surveys. Multivariate analysis of variance assessed whether adolescents with ADHD had greater loneliness and depressive symptoms, and mediation analysis explored whether loneliness mediated the relationship between ADHD and depressive symptoms. Results: Adolescents with ADHD reported significantly greater depressive symptomatology and feelings of isolation and lower quality of friendships. Together, friendship and isolation related loneliness fully mediated the relationship between ADHD and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Loneliness is associated with depression in adolescents with ADHD and may be an important consideration when addressing symptoms of depression among young people diagnosed with ADHD.

Background The impact of COVID‐19 (SARS‐CoV‐2) pandemic school lockdowns on the mental health problems and feelings of loneliness of adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) is hypothesized to be greater than that of their non‐NDD peers. This two and a half year longitudinal study compared changes in the mental health and loneliness of Western Australian adolescents pre‐COVID‐19 (November 2018 and April 2019), immediately prior to COVID‐19 school lockdowns (March 2020), and post schools reopening (July/August 2020). Methods An age‐and‐gender matched sample of 476 adolescents with‐or‐without NDDs completed online assessments for mental health and loneliness. Results Adolescents with NDDs reported elevated levels of adverse mental health across all four waves of data collection. These young people experienced little change in mental health problems and feelings of loneliness over time, and any increase during school lockdowns returned to, or fell below pre‐COVID‐19 levels once schools reopened. In comparison, adolescents without NDDs experienced significant increases from a low baseline in depression symptoms, externalizing symptoms, feelings of isolation, and having a positive attitude to being alone, and evidenced a significant decline in positive mental wellbeing. Quality of friendships were unaffected by COVID‐19 school lockdowns for all adolescents regardless of NDD status. Of the adolescents with NDDs, those with Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder reported a significant increase in positive mental wellbeing following school lockdowns. Conclusions Adolescents with NDDs emerged relatively unscathed from COVID‐19 school lockdowns and the short term impacts associated with these were not maintained over time. These findings should be considered in the context of this study’s geographical location and the unpredictability of school lockdowns. Learning to live with school lockdowns into the future may be a critical element for further investigation in the context of interventions.