Measuring digital media use and well-being: A Digital Media Use Variability Model

Methodological innovations are needed to examine behavioral patterns of engagement with digital platforms which would contribute to understanding how increasing social media use—particularly among adolescents—may relate to mental health. Emerging work suggests that patterns of variability may significantly capture behavioral signatures linked to health above and beyond the average time spent online. Importantly, although passive tracking now enables detailed measurement of digital media use, including variability, most research has focused on mean-level metrics such as screen time. Thus, we hereby review the literature measuring digital media use variability (DMUV) using objective data by (1) proposing a new theoretical framework, (2) mapping existing dimensions, and (3) summarizing links with behavioral and health outcomes. Our DMUV model includes five dimensions: dispersion, routineness, fragmentation, inertia, and unpredictability. Studies have linked these dimensions to behavioral outcomes such as overuse, habitual use, intentional use, and task delay, as well as to mental health outcomes including depression and schizophrenia. We discuss current evidence, its limitations and future directions, underscoring the need for theory-driven approaches to conceptualize and test DMUV as a construct of interest in the complex relationship between digital media and health.