PH DQ SCREEN TIME SCORE LOWER THAN GLOBAL AVERAGE

The global average screen time management score is 100, and the Philippines scored 96 The screen time score measures how children manage screen time, multi-task and participate online with self-control

Globe Telecom, in partnership with the DQ Institute, an international think tank, has completed the initial results of the 2018 DQ World study, a first in the Philippines that was presented to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last February.

The study measures the digital intelligence quotient (DQ) of Filipino youth through pilot surveys in public schools around the country. It serves as a benchmark to nurture and improve the digital intelligence of the nation.

Globe worked closely with the Department of Education (DepEd) to roll out the survey in 12 global Filipino schools (GFS). The results of the study can be viewed at the 2018 DQ Impact Report (www.dqinstitute. or/2018dq_impact_report/).

The PH 2018 DQ study showed that the country’s screen time management score stands at 96, lower than the global average of 100. The score is the first step in determining the country index, representing one of eight areas of digital citizenship education that Filipino students must complete to determine the Philippines DQ index.

The screen time score measures how children aged eight to 12 manage one’s screen time, multi-tasking, participation in online games and using social media with selfcontrol. A score of 100-115 means children are more responsible and has moderated use of the internet. A score below 85 means children can be potentially exposed to one or more cyber-risks or exhibiting unhealthy habits of digital usage.

The aspiration is to have a screen time management score of above 115, which means children can be considered as relatively disciplined users of digital media and technology.

Aside from screen time management, the other areas of digital citizenship education to complete the country’s DQ index include digital citizen identity, privacy management, critical thinking, digital footprints, digital empathy, cyber security management and cyber-bullying management.

Since the Filipino students’ screen time management is lower than average, it is recommended that students learn about safe digital use before they own any mobile device or actively engage in digital media.

The study also showed that the average Filipino child spends about 34 hours per week in front of digital screens for entertainment alone, two hours higher than the global average. About 53 percent of the students access the internet through their own personal mobile phones, while 41 percent access the internet through their family computers. Among the top activities cited are watching videos, using a search engine, playing games, listening to music and creating social media profiles.

DQ is defined as the sum of technical, mental and social competencies essential to digital life. /