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Children and screens: A survey by French pediatricians
R Assathiany1, E Guery2, F M Caron3
1Cabinet de pédiatrie, 30, avenue Victor-Cresson, 92130 Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France; Hôpital André-Mignot, 80, boulevard de la Reine, 78000 Versailles, France; Cabinet de pédiatrie, 30, allée Albert-Sylvestre, 73000 Chambéry, France.
Insights
Children begin screen use early, often unsupervised and with excessive duration. Pediatricians should counsel parents on screen time limits and potential negative impacts for child development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Child Development
- Media Studies
Background:
- Increasing prevalence of screen use in families.
- Potential negative consequences of excessive screen time for children.
- Need for accurate measurement of children's screen exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify screen time among children under 12 years.
- To understand the context of screen use (e.g., alone vs. with others).
- To identify correlations between child and parental screen habits.
Main Methods:
- Electronic invitation to 1460 private practice pediatricians.
- Pediatricians completed questionnaires on child screen use during consultations.
- Data collected based on parental reports for children under 12.
Main Results:
- 428 children's data analyzed; significant screen exposure noted across age groups.
- Children under 3: median 30 min interactive screen time, 29% alone.
- Children 3-11: median 30 min interactive screen time, 50% alone; median 45 min daily TV.
- Correlation found between child screen time and mother's screen time (r=0.36).
- TV on during meals (35%) and continuously (21%) in participating families.
Conclusions:
- Early initiation of screen use is common, often with unsuitable content and parental absence.
- Pediatricians play a crucial role in discussing screen time with parents.
- Recommendations include assessing screen duration, providing guidance, and warning about excessive use consequences.
Introduction:
Screens are increasingly prevalent within families. The excessive use of screens by children has negative consequences. To measure the use of screens, we undertook an investigation among children being followed by pediatricians.
Methods:
An invitation to participate was sent electronically to 1460 private practice pediatricians. They were asked to complete the questionnaire on screen use by children under 12 years of age during a consultation, according to statements made by parents.
Results:
One hundred and forty-four pediatricians submitted completed questionnaires involving 428 children. Among the 197 children under 3 years of age, 92 had played with an interactive screen for a median duration of 30min during the preceding week; 29% of the children were alone at the time. One hundred and thirty-nine children had watched television for a median weekly duration of 75min. Of the 231 children 3-11 years of age, 108 had played with an interactive screen for a median time of 30min the day before the consultation, and 50% of them were alone at the time. One hundred and seventy-two children watched television for a median daily duration of 45min. There was a correlation between these children's screen time and their mother's (r=0.36). The television was on during meals and continuously in 35% and 21% of the families, respectively.
Conclusions:
Children start looking at screens early, too often watching unsuitable programs, and too often without a parent's present. Regardless of the child's age, pediatricians must ask parents how much time their children are viewing screens, advise them accordingly, and warn them of the consequences of excessive use.
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