SynthesisNature human behaviour2021
A systematic review and meta-analysis of discrepancies between logged and self-reported digital media use.
Synthesis in Nature human behaviour, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 205 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
205 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effect of intervention on screen time in preschoolers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of technology use and cognitive aging.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Body image and risk of exercise addiction in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2025Pooled it
- Problematic smartphone use and academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2024Pooled it
- Impact of mobile phones and wireless devices use on children and adolescents' mental health: a systematic review.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- An umbrella review of the benefits and risks associated with youths' interactions with electronic screens.Nature human behaviour · 2024Pooled it
- Subjective and objective experiences of childhood adversity: a meta-analysis of their agreement and relationships with psychopathology.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Misinformation About COVID-19 Vaccines on Social Media: Rapid Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Social media use and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical psychology review · 2021Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Internet-Based Personalized Normative Feedback Among Individuals Experiencing Problem Gambling: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of gambling studies · 2025Trial
- Combining anchoring with financial incentives to increase physical activity: a randomized controlled trial among college students.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2024Trial
- If you personalize it, will they use it?: Self-reported and observed use of a tailored, internet-based pain self-management program.Translational behavioral medicine · 2022Trial
- Objective and perceived smartphone use volume, addiction risk, and deprivation feelings.Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Article
- Perceived physical literacy, self-reported physical activity, and sports video gaming among university students: a cross-sectional study.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2026Article
- Academic Stress, Family Relationships, and Social Media Use Disorder Among Turkish Middle School Students: Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Problematic social media use among young people in Germany: frequency and associated psychosocial and behavioral factors - results from the COPSY study.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the Square Eyes Model as a Screening Tool for Identifying Digital Technologies in Wearable Camera Images Among Children: Laboratory Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Objective Smartphone Screen Time Monitoring Among Caregivers of Preschool-Aged Children: Reliability Study of Monitoring Duration.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Self-Reported Versus Objectively Logged Social Media Use: Implications for Measurement in Eating Disorder Research.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
145 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
There is widespread public and academic interest in understanding the uses and effects of digital media. Scholars primarily use self-report measures of the quantity or duration of media use as proxies for more objective measures, but the validity of these self-reports remains unclear. Advancements in data collection techniques have produced a collection of studies indexing both self-reported and log-based measures. To assess the alignment between these measures, we conducted a pre-registered meta-analysis of this research. Based on 106 effect sizes, we found that self-reported media use correlates only moderately with logged measurements, that self-reports were rarely an accurate reflection of logged media use and that measures of problematic media use show an even weaker association with usage logs. These findings raise concerns about the validity of findings relying solely on self-reported measures of media use.
Indexed as
Identifiers
34002052What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.