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Screen use among young children and parental concern
Silvina B Pedrouzo1, Valeria Peskins2, Ana M Garbocci2
1Institución Obra Social Empleados de Comercio, Policonsultorios Medrano, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. silvipedrouzo@gmail.com.
Insights
Excessive screen time in young children is linked to parental concerns about developmental delays, particularly in language and attention. Exceeding recommended daily usage correlates with these developmental worries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Practice
- Child Development
- Digital Media Studies
Background:
- Excessive technology use in young children is a growing concern for pediatricians.
- Understanding the impact of screen time on early childhood development is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess screen time habits in children under four years old.
- To examine the relationship between screen exposure and parental concerns regarding psychomotor development (motor, language, cognitive, personal-social skills).
Main Methods:
- A descriptive, cross-sectional study involving 150 surveys.
- Data collected from parents of children aged 18 months to 4 years between February and May 2018.
- Assessed device usage patterns, content type, and parental concerns about child development.
Main Results:
- 100% of children used multiple devices, with TV (98%), smartphones (80%), and tablets (52.7%) being most common.
- Average daily screen time was 2.25 hours; longer exposure (2.92 hours) correlated with parental concerns about language and attention deficit (p=0.0024).
- Parents perceiving screen time as harmful or excessively harmful reported shorter exposure times (1.8 hours).
Conclusions:
- All surveyed children utilized multiple screen devices.
- Parental concerns regarding psychomotor development arise when screen time exceeds age-appropriate recommendations.
Introduction:
An excessive technology use among young children is a cause for concern in pediatric practice.
Objective:
To assess screen use among children < 4 years old and its relation to parental concern about psychomotor development regarding motor, language, cognitive, and personal-social skills.
Population And Methods:
Survey administered to mothers and/or fathers of children aged ≥ 18 months and < 4 years seen at the outpatient office between February and May 2018. Descriptive, cross-sectional study.
Results:
A total of 150 surveys were completed. Combined device use in 100 %: TV, 98 %; smartphones, 80 %; tablets, 52.7 %; computers, 24 %. Average use: 2.25 h/day across all ages (standard deviation: 1.2). Use and quality: games, 60 % (non-educational, 23 %); videos, 88 % (non-educational, 20 %). Parental concern about development: 82 % had no concerns; 8.7 % was concerned about language; 9.3 %, about attention deficit; the latter two were consistent with a longer exposure time: 2.92 h/day (p = 0.0024). Parental opinion about use and effects on development: 52 %, beneficial; 12 %, no effect; 25.3 %, harmful; and 10.7 %, harmful due to excessive use; the latter two were consistent with a shorter exposure time: 1.8 h/day (p = 0.0023).
Conclusion:
The 100 % of children use devices in combination. Parental concern about psychomotor development is expressed when exposure exceeds the current recommendations for age.
