Screen Time in Indian Children by 15-18 Months of Age
Pinky Meena1, Piyush Gupta2, Dheeraj Shah1
1Department of Pediatrics, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India.
Insights
Nearly all toddlers are exposed to screens by 18 months, with most exceeding an hour daily. This widespread screen time in young children highlights the need for parental guidance and established media use guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Development
- Media Studies
Background:
- Early childhood screen exposure is a growing concern.
- Understanding screen time practices in infants is crucial for developmental health.
- Limited data exists on screen media use in children under two years.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of screen-based media exposure in children aged 15-18 months.
- To investigate the common practices and parental perceptions regarding early childhood screen time.
Main Methods:
- An observational, descriptive study involving 370 mothers and their children aged 15-18 months.
- Data collected via semi-structured questionnaires on screen exposure initiation, frequency, and duration.
- Parental perceptions of screen time were also assessed.
Main Results:
- 99.7% of children were exposed to screen media by 18 months, with a median initiation age of 10 months.
- Smartphones (96%) and televisions (89%) were the most common devices.
- Over 56% of children exceeded 2 hours of daily screen time, with most parents unconcerned.
Conclusions:
- Near-universal screen media exposure exists in urban toddlers by 18 months.
- Extensive screen use in this age group necessitates clear guidelines.
- Dissemination of screen time recommendations to parents is essential.
Objective:
To determine the prevalence and practices of exposure to screen-based media in children by 15-18 months of age.
Methods:
This observational descriptive study was conducted from March to August, 2019. Mothers of 370 healthy developmentally normal children (15-18 months of age) were enrolled during their visit to immunization clinic of a medical college affiliated hospital. Parental response to a semi-structured questionnaire was recorded to assess the initiation, frequency and duration of screen exposure, and related parental perceptions.
Results:
369 (99.7%) children were exposed to screen-based media till 18 months of age, starting from median (IQR) age of 10 (8, 12) months. Smartphone and television were being viewed by 354 (96%) and 328 (89%) children, respectively. Screen time was >1 hour/day in 328 (88.7%) and >2 hours/day in 209 (56.5%) children (median (IQR): 120 (80, 180) minutes/d). Most (72%) parents were not concerned with their child's screen time.
Conclusion:
Almost all young children seem to be exposed to screen-based media by 18 months of age in the urban setting. Extensive use of screen-based media by young children calls for formulation of guidelines on toddlers' screen use and their dissemination to parents.
