We study how adolescents and their parents use smartphones, and how their smartphone use impacts their family relationships and well-being.
We use the Screenomics approach to collect real-time, high-intensity (every 5 seconds over up to 6 months) smartphone data from adolescents and parents. Our ongoing projects include:
Understanding the discrepancy between objective and self-reported smartphone use patterns
Understanding the longitudinal associations between adolescents’ objective smartphone use and their well-being
Understanding how adolescents use their smartphones during school hours
Understanding how adolescents and parents use their smartphones overnight
This work is supported by the University of Minnesota's Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship, and the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute.
Featured Publications
Sun, X., Ram, N., Reeves, B., Cho, M. J., Fitzgerald, A., & Robinson, T. N. (2023). Connectedness and independence of young adults and parents in the digital world: Observing smartphone interactions at multiple timescales using Screenomics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(4), 1126-1150. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221104268 Sun, X., Dworkin, J., & LeBouef, S. (2023). Late adolescents’ texting experiences with family: Mixed-Method analysis for understanding themes and sentiments. Adolescents, 3(3), 581-593. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents3030041
Dworkin, J., Sun, X., LeBouef, S., & Keyzers, A. (2023). Associations among parent technology use, locus of control, and child problem behaviors. Family Relations, 72(2), 443-457. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12811
Sun, X., Haydel, K. F., Matheson, D., Desai, M., & Robinson, T. N. (2023). Are mobile phone ownership and age of acquisition associated with child adjustment? A 5‐year prospective study among low‐income Latinx children. Child Development, 94(1), 303-314. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13851. [top 10% downloaded article]
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