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Social Avoidance and Social Adjustment in Young Chinese Children: The Moderating Effect of Screen Time

Jingjing Zhu1,2, Siyuan Zhu1, Shengting Huang1

  • 1Shanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, P.R China.

The Journal of Genetic Psychology
|April 15, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Excessive screen time worsens social problems for children who are socially avoidant. Increased screen time amplifies the negative effects of social avoidance on young children

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Media Psychology

Background:

  • Social avoidance is linked to various social adjustment issues in children.
  • The role of screen time in moderating this association requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine how screen time influences the relationship between social avoidance and social adjustment in young Chinese children.
  • To determine if screen time acts as a moderator in this context.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized maternal reports for social avoidance and screen time measures in 211 Chinese children (43-66 months).
  • Teacher ratings assessed children's social adjustment, including internalizing problems, asocial behaviors, peer exclusion, and prosocial behaviors.
  • Statistical analysis investigated the interaction between social avoidance and screen time.

Main Results:

  • Social avoidance positively correlated with internalizing problems, asocial behaviors, peer exclusion, and hyperactivity, and negatively with prosocial behaviors.
  • A significant interaction effect was found between social avoidance and screen time.
  • The association between social avoidance and social adjustment problems intensified with increased screen time.

Conclusions:

  • Screen time significantly moderates the link between social avoidance and social adjustment in young children.
  • Excessive screen time may exacerbate social avoidance tendencies, negatively impacting children's social adjustment, particularly internalizing problems and peer exclusion.

Keywords:
ChinaSocial avoidancescreen timesocial adjustmentyoung children

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