ESCAPISM BY DIGITAL MEDIA: ASSESSING SCREEN TIME IMPACT, USAGE GUIDELINES/RECOMMENDATIONS AWARENESS AND ADOPTION AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ENUGU STATE, SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

For decades, smart phones, electronic games, personal computers and the television have assumed an important place in the daily lives of university students and as such it appears many have become significantly dependent on the escapism these gadgets seem to facilitate. This study assessed the impact of screen time on university students in Enugu state, South-East Nigeria and their awareness and adoption of screen usage guidelines/recommendations. The study intended the following: (i) to ascertain whether university students in Enugu state own or have access to screen enabled devices; (ii) to ascertain their screen activities;(iii) To ascertain how many university students in Enugu state are aware of screen usage guidelines/recommendations; (iv) to determine the percentage of university students in Enugu state meeting the screen usage guidelines/ recommendations;(v) to determine the impact screen time has on them. A survey of 400 university students in Enugu state was conducted. The students were sampled from five universities in the state: University of Nigeria Nsukka-Enugu Campus, Enugu State University of Technology, Renaissance University, Caritas University and Geoffrey Okoye University. The findings suggested that most of these students spent more time on various screens especially mobile device screens and television screens. Majority of the students are also unaware of the screen usage guidelines/ recommendations and associated potential health risks.