Are There Differences in Video Gaming and Use of Social Media among Boys and Girls?—A Mixed Methods Approach

Abstract

Gaming is widespread among adolescents and has typically been viewed as an activity for boys. There are however a growing number of female gamers and we need to learn more about how gender affects gaming. The aim of this study is to both quantify gaming among Norwegian adolescents and explore how gender differences are perceived. A mixed method approach was used to capture gaming experiences among boys and girls. Survey data (N = 5607) was analyzed descriptively, and five focus groups were conducted, applying thematic analysis. Statistics showed that boys from the age of 14 use video games up to 5 times more than girls, while girls are much more on social media. From the focus groups, we found that boys did not view social media as socially significant as gaming and that there is a greater social acceptance of gaming among boys than among girls. Gender differences in video gaming are not necessarily a problem per se, as they may reflect gender-specific motivations and interests. However, the study also finds that girls feel less encouraged than boys to play video games due to different gender-related experiences of video gaming. Therefore, gendered barriers in video gaming must be explored in future research.

Social epidemiology of early adolescent problematic screen use in the United States

“…Prior studies support this phenomenon such that boys begin to identify themselves as gamers in early adolescence, when gender disparities typically increase. 29 , 30 Our findings extend known sex differences in time spent on screens to problematic screen use.…”

Relationship between passion for playing video games and behavioral school engagement: Mediation through time spent playing

“…One analysis of a representative sample of Croatian students 9-17 years old showed that 70% of students play online video games at least once a week, while 40.3% of students played online video games almost every day (Ciboci et al, 2020). These data are comparable to those found in other countries, such as the Spain (e.g., , Norway (e.g., Leonhardt & Overå, 2021) and Italy (e.g., Donati et al, 2021).…”

The diurnal pattern and social context of screen behaviours in adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study

“…The predominant social context for social network use or internet browsing was alone, whilst making phone calls/sending texts and playing electronic games was more likely to be done in the company of friends and/or siblings, though this varied by sex and day of the week. Numerous studies have reported that social networking and playing video games provide valued opportunities for young people to socialise with friends [ 35 ], but it is interesting to observe that this sometimes takes place alone and sometimes in the company of others. Any attempt to modify screen use in this population will need to account for the social function these activities hold in young peoples’ lives.…”