title: Media use and depression: exposure, household rules, and symptoms among young adolescents in the USA.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the longitudinal and cross-sectional associations between different types of electronic media use (mobile phones, TV, computers, video games, and music) and young adolescents' depressive symptoms, and to explore the potential for household media rules to reduce young people's depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  126 young adolescents were recruited from the Northeastern USA. Each type of media use was assessed using survey questions, time use diaries, and ecological momentary assessment. The Beck Depression Index for Primary Care was administered at baseline and 1 year later as part of a questionnaire that also included items assessing the presence of household rules about TV and video games.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline use of mobile phones and TV viewing were associated with higher levels of depression 1 year later controlling for demographic information and baseline depression score. Having household rules about TV at baseline predicted lower levels of depression at follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both TV viewing and mobile phone use may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms. Implementing household rules about the duration and content of TV could help reduce depression in young adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Center on Media and Child Health, Boston, USA, david.bickham@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Bickham
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hswen
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000367:Age Factors; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D003201:Computers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016487:Parenting; D018570:Risk Assessment; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States; D018910:Video Games / Q000706:statistics & numerical data