Media Literacy Week 2024 focuses on healthy screen use. Completely avoiding digital screens is challenging and unnecessary. Making conscious choices about screen use can already make a big difference.

The Digital Balance Model

The theoretical foundation of the campaign week is the Digital Balance Model. This model views health through three components: physical health (do you get enough sleep and exercise, and are you not sitting still for too long), mental health (are you satisfied with your performance while also relaxing enough), and social health (do you have enough time to connect with others and for yourself). These three components are interconnected and overlap. When they are in balance, it positively impacts your overall health.

A key condition for achieving a good digital balance is having the freedom to make your own choices. The Digital Balance Model is about organizing your time in a way that makes you feel good and healthy. The right balance is different for everyone. But how do we actually use screens? When and for how long do we sit behind a computer, and how often do we reach for our phones? More importantly, how do we perceive our own screen use?

Research Question

The current study focuses on the screen use of the Dutch population. The main research question is: "What is the use of (digital) media, and what are the positive and negative effects of this use?"

Subquestions:

• Which screens are used for (social) media, and how often are screens used?
• At what times are screens used?
• What feelings are experienced during screen use?

Target Group:

n=1,274 Dutch consumers aged 16 and older

Data collection: 

July 30 to August 12, 2024

Research Objectives

The objectives of the research are:

• To build knowledge and provide insights into the screen use of the Dutch population.
• To understand to what extent people in the Netherlands are satisfied with their own (digital) media use.
• This research on healthy screen use was commissioned by Netwerk Mediawijsheid and conducted by research agency DirectResearch.

Reflection

The figures presented in the research provide an overview of screen use in the Netherlands. To further interpret these results, Trimbos Institute and Dr. Tim van Timmeren (Utrecht University) and various experts were asked to reflect on the findings.