title: Personalized Media: A Genetically Informative Investigation of Individual Differences in Online Media Use.
abstract: Online media use has become an increasingly important behavioral domain over the past decade. However, studies into the etiology of individual differences in media use have focused primarily on pathological use. Here, for the first time, we test the genetic influences on online media use in a UK representative sample of 16 year old twins, who were assessed on time spent on educational (N = 2,585 twin pairs) and entertainment websites (N = 2,614 twin pairs), time spent gaming online (N = 2,635 twin pairs), and Facebook use (N = 4,333 twin pairs). Heritability was substantial for all forms of online media use, ranging from 34% for educational sites to 37% for entertainment sites and 39% for gaming. Furthermore, genetics accounted for 24% of the variance in Facebook use. Our results support an active model of the environment, where young people choose their online engagements in line with their genetic propensities.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ziada
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ayorech
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: von Stumm
authors.affiliation: MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Experimental Psychology & School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Claire M A
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Haworth
authors.affiliation: MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Oliver S P
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: King's College London, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Plomin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009862:Online Systems; D006113:United Kingdom