Correlation between cyberloafing and media consumption: Results of teenagers’ self-reports

Abstract

The study of the correlation between cyberloafing behaviour and the features of teenage media use became the goal of this research. A total of 121 teenagers (13–15 years old) participated in the survey. There were 61 boys and 60 girls. The results of the study showed that the phenomenon of cyberloafing is not widespread among schoolchildren in Russia. Most often, during lessons, teenagers search the network for the information they need or to communicate. The most popular sources of information for adolescents are the Internet, books and television. The results of the study show that the formation of cyberloafing behaviours is associated with quantitative and qualitative features of adolescent media consumption. The level of cyberloafing depends on media competence, as well as on the characteristics of the perception and processing of media information. The limitations of the presented study are discussed in the final part of this article.   Keywords: Cyberloafing, media use, generational psychology, adolescents, teenagers.