Ethnic Differences in the Association between Problematic Internet Use and School Engagement and GPA: Findings from a Diverse High School Sample
 
 Nazar Makadsi, MPH(c), Rasmey Gomez, MPH(c), Xiao Zhang, MPH(c), Mikaela Rojas, MPH, Myriam Forster, MPH, PhD.
 
 Background: Adolescents’ problematic internet use (PIU) is a public health priority, with nearly all U.S. teenagers (96%) reporting 7 or more hours of daily online activity. PIU is not solely defined by excessive screen time; it involves the same characteristics as substance use disorders, such as withdrawal, tolerance, neglecting personal relationships, and continued use despite negative consequences. Although significant evidence has demonstrated adverse effects of PIU for mental health and academic achievement, far less research has focused on ethnic differences in the association between PIU and GPA and school engagement. The present study assessed the association between PIU and cognitive, affective, and behavioral school engagement and academic achievement and investigated potential ethnic differences across race/ethnicity.
 
Methods: Data are baseline surveys of high school students (N=2,306) enrolled in a school-based study assessing school, health, and developmental outcomes. GLMs tested the hypothesized association between levels of PIU and students’ GPA and cognitive, affective, and behavioral school engagement. We also explored ethnic differences, adjusting for age, sex, state, and neighborhood disadvantage.

Results: Half of the sample was female (52%), 31% identified as non-Hispanic White, followed by African American (29%), Hispanic (24%), Multiracial (9%), and Asian (7%). Over one third of students (36%) reported mild, and 26% reported moderate to severe levels of PIU. Every standard deviation above the mean of PIU was associated with significantly lower GPA (β = -0.07, 95% CI: [-0.11, -0.03]) and lower behavioral school engagement (β = -0.30, 95% CI: [-0.45, -0.15]) but not affective or cognitive engagement. In regard to ethnic differences, non-Hispanic White students with higher than sample average PIU had significantly lower behavioral school engagement scores than students from all other ethnic backgrounds (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that PIU is associated with lower GPA and lower behavioral school engagement, with the most detrimental effect among Non-Hispanic White students. Limiting students’ screen time and integrating routine screening into student health and academic advising could be beneficial approaches to reducing problematic/risky internet use among adolescents. Future research will benefit from investigating what protective cultural/family factors could offset the negative consequences of PIU.