College Students' Media Habits, Concern for Themselves and Others, and Mental Health in the Era of COVID-19

Public Policy Relevance Statement This study showed the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led college students to watch more TV and play more video games. This could be due to desires to stay current with news on the national emergency and due to unexpected confinement to home settings. More TV viewing predicted increased concern for society, perhaps due to constant reporting on deaths, hospital crowding, and virus spread on TV news. Increasing social media use also was related to increased concern for one's future for students low in anxiety and concern for society for students high in depression, potentially due to worrisome posts and dire news stories being posted at high rates. The COVID-19 pandemic has entirely disrupted college students' education plans, often their physical location, and it remains elusive when life will return to prepandemic normalcy. The current study examined changing media use patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of these patterns on feelings of concern regarding one's future and society, and the moderating roles of anxiety and depression in relations. Seventy-four college students (70% female; 55% White, 24% Pell-grant eligible) completed an online survey assessing time spent on TV, social media, and video game use in spring of 2019 (T1) and spring of 2020 (T2). Results revealed TV and video game, but not social media, use increased from T1 to T2, and change in TV use positively predicted an increased concern about society. Further, moderation analyses showed increased social media use raised concern for one's future at lower levels of anxiety. Change in social media use raised concern for society at higher levels of depression. This study advances our understanding of college students' interactions with media during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting some types of media may have been used as coping mechanisms with various effects on concern for self and others. Mental health can be salient to these relations.

Automated summary

This study revealed that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led college students to increase TV watching and video game playing. Changes in media use patterns were associated with increased concerns about society and the future, with social media potentially serving as a coping mechanism. Mental health, particularly levels of anxiety and depression, played a significant role in moderating these relationships.