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Mobile phone use by young children and parent's views on children's mobile phone usage
Saumya Amin Shah1, Varsha Dilip Phadke1
1Department of Pediatrics, KJ Somaiya Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Insights
A high prevalence of mobile phone use was observed in children aged 6 months to 4 years. Despite parental concerns, usage was common, highlighting a need for mobile phone guidelines in India.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Development
- Digital Health
Background:
- Mobile phone use is increasing among young children.
- Understanding usage patterns and parental attitudes is crucial for child development.
- Early exposure to digital devices raises developmental concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of mobile phone use in children aged 6 months to 4 years.
- To investigate mobile phone usage patterns, including optimal age and duration of use.
- To assess parental attitudes towards their children's mobile phone usage.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted in a pediatric outpatient department.
- Data was collected using a predesigned and validated questionnaire from 90 children.
- Statistical analysis included Chi-square and Fischer's exact tests.
Main Results:
- 73.34% of children aged 6 months to 4 years used mobile phones, with usage increasing by age.
- Educational purposes (43.9%) and less than an hour daily (57.6%) were common usage patterns.
- Despite 93.3% of parents disapproving, 71.4% of their children still used mobile phones.
Conclusions:
- A high prevalence of mobile phone use exists among young children in India.
- Parental intentions to limit usage often differ from actual child behavior.
- There is a need for established guidelines on mobile phone use for children in India.
Aims:
This study aims to explore the prevalence of mobile phone use among young children aged 6 months to 4 years. We studied the usage patterns, optimal age for use, and the attitudes of parents toward their child's mobile phone use.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional study in a pediatric OPD of a tertiary teaching hospital for a period of 2-months. Ethics committee approval and informed consent was taken before conducting the research. A predesigned and validated questionnaire was used to collect data. We calculated a sample size of 90 children at a 95% confidence level. Chi-square test and Fischer's exact test were used as a test of significance at 5% level of significance.
Results:
We observed that 73.34% of children were using mobile phones and mobile phone usage increased with age. Children used mobile phones for educational purposes (43.9%), and for less than an hour a day (57.6%). In the 3-4 year age group, 19% used mobile phones for 3 hours or more. While 93.3% of parents felt they shouldn't give their child a phone, 71.4% children of these parents still used one.
Conclusions:
Our study highlights a high prevalence of mobile phone use among young children aged 6 months to 4 years. Although parents aimed to limit their child's phone usage, the reality was different. We recommend that guidelines on mobile phone use be followed in India.
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