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Parents, teens and screens during COVID-19 containment: An exploratory study
Joan-Carles Surís1, André Berchtold2, Yara Barrense-Dias1
1Research Group on Adolescent Health, Department of Epidemiology and Health Services, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Child: Care, Health and Development
|December 21, 2022
Summary
Parents became less strict with teen screen time during confinement, but encouraged non-screen activities successfully. This suggests alternatives, not restrictions, may reduce screen time effectively.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Adolescent Behavior
- Digital Media Studies
Background:
- Parental concerns regarding adolescent screen time are significant.
- Screen time rules are a common parental strategy to manage technology use.
- The COVID-19 pandemic context prompted changes in family dynamics and routines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if parental rules on teen screen time evolved during pandemic confinement.
- To assess the success of these modified screen time rules.
- To explore the impact of confinement on parent-teen technology interaction.
Main Methods:
- An exploratory study involving 47 parents of 13-year-old adolescents in Switzerland.
- Data collected through surveys administered before and during the COVID-19 pandemic confinement period.
- Comparative analysis of parental screen time rules and their perceived effectiveness.
Main Results:
- 83% of parents altered their screen time rules for teenagers during confinement, generally becoming less strict.
- Few parents succeeded in establishing specific screen time schedules or boundaries.
- A significant majority (nearly 75%) found success in promoting non-screen-based activities.
Conclusions:
- Parental screen time restrictions loosened during confinement, despite ongoing parental concern.
- Encouraging alternative, non-screen activities proved effective in engaging teenagers.
- Reducing adolescent screen time may be more successful through offering alternatives rather than imposing strict limitations.
- Further research is needed to determine the long-term impact of these confinement-induced changes on screen time habits.
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