New Study Highlights the Greater Accuracy of Objective Measurement in Mental Health

New Study Published in JMIR Mental Health uses the EARS Platform’s Mobile Sensing Methodology

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study used objective, passive remote sensing methods through the EARS Research Platform in a new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research Mental Health in October 2021.

The Passive Sensing of Preteens’ Smartphone Use: An Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Cohort Substudy assessed smartphone screen use over 4 weeks in 2019-2020 in a subsample of 67 participants.

As part of the study, children and parents were asked to report average smartphone screen use before and after the study, along with questions regarding the study protocol.

The study found that self-reported screen use was partially consistent with sensor-reported objective measurement. Additionally, it indicated that children used their phones more than they self-report. This finding highlights the greater quantitative accuracy of objective measurement. It also found that the most common types of apps used were for streaming, communication, gaming, and social media.

This is part of a larger study ABCD is currently conducting. Read full substudy at JMIR Mental Health.