Screen viewing behavior and sleep duration among children aged 2 and below

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sleep Medicine
• Child Development
• Digital Media and Health

Background:

• Limited research exists on the relationship between screen viewing (SV) and sleep duration in very young children.
• This study addresses this gap by investigating total and device-specific SV impacts on sleep in children aged two years and under.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between total and device-specific screen viewing (SV) and sleep duration in children aged 2 years and below.
• To determine if age modifies the association between SV and sleep duration.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 714 Singaporean children aged 2 years and below.
• Parent-reported data on socio-demographics, screen viewing (TV, mobile devices), and sleep duration via interviewer-administered questionnaires.
• Multiple linear regression analysis, with stratified analyses for infants (<6 months) and older infants/toddlers (7-24 months).

Main Results:

• Over half of the children (53.1%) engaged in daily screen viewing, with prevalence higher in older infants (73.8% in 7-24 months group).
• Each hour of daily screen viewing was associated with a 0.26-hour reduction in sleep duration.
• The negative association between screen viewing and sleep duration was significantly stronger in infants under 6 months (0.73 hours shorter sleep per hour of SV) compared to older children (0.13 hours shorter sleep).

Conclusions:

• A substantial association exists between increased screen viewing and shorter sleep duration in very young children.
• This association is more pronounced in infants aged 6 months and below.
• Further research is recommended to validate these findings and explore potential interventions.