Adolescents’ engagement with screen media violence: A quantitative, cross-sectional study

This study examines adolescents' engagement with violent content in screen-based media and identifies key socio-demographic, familial, and technological factors that influence this engagement. While adolescents' media consumption has been extensively researched, little attention has been paid to their engagement with violent screen media content, particularly in Global South contexts where access to advanced media technologies and the internet is increasing. Guided by the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory, Media Affordance theory, the Ecological System Perspectives, Social Cognitive Theory, and Cultivation Theory, this study surveyed a stratified sample of 720 adolescents (aged 14–19) from 56 private high schools in Addis Ababa using a standardized questionnaire (reliability Cronbach's α = 0.921). Statistical analyses included tests such as Spearman's Rank correlation, Chi-Square, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The Generalized Ordinal Logistic Regression Model was also employed to predict associations. Findings revealed that engagement with screen media violence was high across all platforms and that engagement increased as age and grade level decreased. Gender variations demonstrated a significant relationship with adolescents' engagement with such content (p < 0.05). These findings underscore the importance of media literacy programs that equip adolescents with the skills and knowledge to critically evaluate the media content to which they are exposed.