Parents, teens and screens during COVID-19 containment: An exploratory study

One of the main concerns of parents is the amount of screen time of their teenagers, and most of them try to set rules about it. The objective of this exploratory study was to compare whether parents' rules changed during confinement and whether these changes were successful.

We studied a group of parents (N = 47) of 13-year-olds in Switzerland surveyed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most parents (83%) indicated that screen-time rules for their teens had changed during containment, mainly to be less strict. Although only a minority of parents were successful in defining screen-time spaces or schedules for their teenagers, almost three out of four were successful when they encouraged non-screen-based activities.

This exploratory study reveals that, during containment, parents decided to be less strict with their teens' screen-time use even though it remained their main worry. However, it also suggests that when activities non-involving screens are proposed, teens are likely to participate. These results seem to indicate that reducing screen time is not a matter of imposing restrictions but, rather, of proposing alternatives. Finally, further research is warranted to assess whether these changes in screen-time use are exceptional or here to stay.