Beyond Screen Time: Violent and Risky Media Exposure, Impulsivity, and Sensation-Seeking Tendencies among Youth

Abstract

The present study examined whether violent and risky media exposure and impulsivity predicted sensation-seeking tendencies among youth after controlling for demographic characteristics and daily social media use. A quantitative cross-sectional correlational design was used. The sample comprised 300 college and university youth from Pakistan, with ages ranging from 18 to 30 years. The Brief Version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Content-Based Media Exposure Scale, the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale, and a demographic information sheet were all completed by the participants. Sensation-seeking tendencies were positively correlated with impulsivity and exposure to violent or risky media, according to Pearson correlations. According to hierarchical regression analysis, 5.7% of the variance in sensation-seeking tendencies was explained by media use and demographic controls. Impulsivity and exposure to violent and risky media significantly improved the model, accounting for 15.1% of the variance. Impulsivity was the next strongest positive predictor, after exposure to violent and risky media. The final model did not find daily social media use to be significant, indicating that exposure to specific content might be more important than overall media use duration. The results support the use of sensation-seeking tendencies rather than direct risk-taking behavior as the psychometrically accurate outcome and emphasize the significance of separating violent and risky media content from total screen time. The study adds to the body of research on the effects of media on youth by demonstrating that sensation-seeking is linked to both self-regulatory tendencies and exposure to content-based media.