This research looked at the differences in how adolescents with and without disability spend their time. The study looked at the activities adolescents spent their time on and who they spent it with. This is important to understand as it impacts development, health and relationships.

This study used survey data on Australians aged 10 to 15 years old between 2009 and 2018. The survey collected information about what people did in their day. This included the types of activities, when they did them, where they did them and who they were with. The researchers recorded whether the activities were for leisure, learning or socialising. Leisure activities included things like watching TV and playing sports. Learning activities included school and homework. Social activities included communicating with others in person and online. The researchers recorded if these activities were with family, friends or alone. This was important to understand adolescents’ social networks.

The research found that young people with disability spent less time in educational and structured activities. They also spent more time on screen-based leisure activities than peers without disability. Young people with disability spent more time alone or with their mothers and less time with friends.

These gaps varied by age and sex. Researchers found larger differences for boys and older adolescents. Adolescents with disability aged 14-15 years spent more than 4 hours each day on screen-based activities. This was about 50% more time than they spent at school. Boys with disability spent less time on structured leisure activities than boys without disability. Previous research has shown structured leisure activities are valuable for cognitive development.

This study shows that adolescents with disabilities are more likely to be socially isolated and excluded from activities that support their development. This difference could lead to poorer outcomes in health, education, employment and relationships. These findings could explain some of the disadvantages experienced by people with disability later in life.

This research indicates the need to understand the reasons behind high screen time. Future research could investigate how alternative activities could be more inclusive and accessible or how to improve the quality of screen time.

About the author:

Alex (she/her) is a project coordinator on RAY. Alex is completing a Master of Public Health and is a family member of a person with disability.