Postpandemic After-School Activities Among Youths in Australia
This cohort study found associations between the COVID-19 pandemic and after-school activity participation patterns among youths, with rapid increases in social media use compared with all other activities. These associations largely persisted 3 years after the onset of the pandemic. These findings provide a timely benchmark for evaluating forthcoming policies aimed at restricting youth access to social media platforms. Interventions to support activities such as sports, art, and music are warranted.
Authors
- Mi Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6496-4824)
- Sally Brinkman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7538-4844)
- Dorothea Dumuid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3057-0963)
- Carol Ann Maher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8676-0224)
- Juliette Cools
Institutions
- University of South Australia (AU)
- Department for Education and Child Development (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JAMA Network Open
- Published
- 2025-11-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.43637
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Youth Development and Social Support
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.37
Funders
- Australian Government
- University of South Australia