The COVID-19 Pandemic upended the lives of nearly everyone worldwide, and recent studies have reported higher rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. Using a repeated crosssectional design, the current study compares anxiety levels from a representative sample of college students prior-to and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Additionally, differences in anxiety prior to and following U.S. approval for use of the Pfizer-BioNTtech COVID-19 vaccine were also compared. Findings indicate that state-anxiety levels did not differ significantly prior to and during the Pandemic as well as before the vaccine and during and after the vaccine ( M = 43.01, 44.10, 44.77, respectively). Surprisingly, trait anxiety levels were significantly higher during the Pandemic than before ( p = .003), and anxiety levels trend down after the approval of the vaccine, but not significantly ( M = 45.10, 48.85, 47.58, respectively). Future research should continue to investigate and compare anxiety levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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Objective Technology use has increased in the past several years, especially among younger generations. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed how people work, learn, and interact, with many utilizing technology for daily tasks and socializing. Methods The current study investigated a sample of college students using a cross-sectional design to determine whether there was a change in how much time students spent on screens, phones, and social media. Results Findings indicated that time on screens and phones was significantly higher during the pandemic; however, time spent on social media did not differ significantly. Conclusion These findings suggest that students are spending more time working and socializing on their screens and phones, yet social media may not be the platform in which students are doing this. Future studies should further explore technology usage and whether these trends during the COVID-19 pandemic will be lasting.