I have been asked to help a group of high-schools construct a survey related to screen use, loneliness, stress, etc. their students.
What is the least problematic way of asking about screen use in a survey format? Both in terms of questions and answer scale.
Since a number of studies find that self-reported screen use has limited validity, this will never be a perfect approach, but I'd like it to be as valid as possible given the constraints.
Article Comparing the Self-Report and Measured Smartphone Usage of C...
The data are both intended for research purposes (hypotheses to be discussed) and to give the students a dataset to work with in Math and Civics, so nuance is very welcome.
(I will discuss covariates with the schools later, but ideally I intend to challenge "screentime" as a unitary concept, and hopefully add a uses and gratifications dimension to the data, including non-screen related factors that might affect, especially social, wellbeing).
You are being helped by the zero sum game: 24 hours per day.
You probably want to ask:
-when do you feel you don't need your phone. Activity, status, duration?
-when do you need your phone or other device but it's not your main purpose (companioning, multi-tasking )
-when is your phone and other device your main focus (full attention).
Hum as you said, the question may not be the relevant one.
Addiction is not best characterised by use compulsion.
You may want to measure or assess withdrawal symptoms: anger level when phone is taken away by teacher, etc.
Trying medical methodology to measure addiction (smoking) and the recent "nudge" approach from behavioural economics to incentivise and reinforce short term "good" behaviour (Kahneman Tversky, Richard Thaler). There are papers on using this approach to reduce smokers addiction. Idem to reinforce "going to the gym" and exercising (see stickk.com methodology)
You could possibly ask - how do you feel when you you don't have a phone
- what feelings prompt you to pick up your phone
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