Screen use among young children in a city of Argentina

The use of mobile devices has become ubiquitous in the family, across all social strata, and from an early age.

To assess the use of mobile and fixed screens among young children, the time spent doing traditional childhood activities, and the relationship to the maternal level of education.

Descriptive, crosssectional design.

Children aged 6 months to 5 years seen in Río Cuarto, Córdoba, between July and September 2016.

Demographics, family income, age at initiation, frequency of use, daily minutes, other activities.

160 surveys were included; 99% of households had a TV and 98.75%, a smartphone. Average number of electronic devices: 5.68; among lower income households: 5.1 (standard deviation [SD]: 1.57); and among higher income households: 6.32 (SD: 1.18) (p = 0.0000). By the age of 2, 80.3% of children watched TV and 37.4% used touchscreen devices with help. Between 2 and 4 years old, 38.7% used screens without help. Also, 93% of children watched TV and 56% used mobile screens very frequently. Children watched TV for an average of 75.6 daily minutes and used other screens for 31.3 minutes, whereas reading only accounted for 20.4 minutes. Mothers who had completed tertiary education spent more time reading books than those who had completed primary or secondary education (analysis of variance: p = 0.00007).

Household technological equipment is practically universal; children's exposure to screens starts at an early age. TV is the most commonly used screen although mobile screens take up a significant time. Mothers who had completed higher education spent more time reading.