NATIONAL

HEALTH BEHAVIOUR IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN:
WHO COLLABORATIVE CROSS-NATIONAL STUDY (HBSC)
2014 SURVEY IN SCOTLAND NATIONAL REPORT
The proportion of young people who spend two or more hours a day playing computer games is greater at the weekends
than on weekdays. This is observed among all three age groups. At the weekend, 78% of boys and 57% of girls play
computer games for two or more hours a day (Figure 7.13). Playing computer games at the weekend has increased among
girls since 2010; in 2014, 57% of girls played computer games for at least two hours a day, compared with 37% in 2010. No
changes in the prevalence of weekend computer gaming was seen for boys over this time period.
USING A COMPUTER FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN PLAYING GAMES
Sixty six percent (66%) of girls use a computer for chatting online, internet, emailing, homework etc. for at least two hours
every day during the school week, compared with 60% of boys (Figure 7.14). There is no gender difference among 11-year
olds; however, girls are more likely than boys to use the computer for non-gaming activities at ages 13 and 15. Use of
computers for non-gaming activities is higher at weekends than on weekdays and increases with age (Figure 7.15). Again,
at ages 13 and 15, girls are more likely than boys to use the computer for this purpose at the weekend.
The proportion of young people who use a computer for purposes other than games on weekdays has increased, from
51% in 2010 to 63% in 2014. Similarly, weekend use has increased from 57% in 2010 to 71% in 2014. Whilst the proportion
playing computer games is similar across age groups, the prevalence of non-gaming computer use increases with age. It is
likely that higher schoolwork demand at secondary school is partly responsible for increased non-gaming computer use.
This age-related increase in non-gaming computer use also concurs with the finding in Chapter 4 that electronic media
communication becomes more popular with age.
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