Relationship between screen time among children and lower economic status during elementary school closures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (original) (raw)
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Screen Time for Preschool Children: Learning from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Global Pediatric Health
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian Government enacted a study at home policy for all students. This policy also applied to preschool children aged 2 to 6 years old. The purpose of the research was to examine the duration and impact of digital media use by preschool children in urban areas in Indonesia during weekdays and weekends. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire called the Surveillance of digital-Media hAbits in earLy chiLdhood Questionnaire (SMALLQ®). A total of 951 parents or guardians (17-70 years old) who had preschool children volunteered to complete the questionnaire online. Preschool children have been using screen media since infancy, and the time they spend on-screen time is more than 1 hour per day. The digital media most used were mobile phones (91.6%), followed by television (86.1%) and computers (61%). The parents realized the impact and the importance of limiting time of screen media, but it difficult to prevent their children from usi...
Current Psychology
This has created serious problems for families with young children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline (2019), the screen time of children under 5 years old should be no more than 1 h a day. During the pandemic, however, children's screen time is likely to increase and exceed this criterion (Susilowati et al., 2021). Moreover, children's preschool years are a stage of development when the brain undergoes rapid development (Knudsen, 2004), and thus it is important to understand the impact of excessive screen time on preschool-aged children's emotional problems and learning behaviors. The present study aimed to examine preschoolers' screen time and changes in their screen time in relation to their learning behaviors, anxiety/withdrawal and familial correlates during the pandemic outbreak in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic originated.
BMJ Open Ophthalmology
ObjectiveThis study aims to determine the prevalence of high screen time among schoolchildren aged 3–10 years in Bhaktapur, its correlates and the parents’ strategies to reduce screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal.Methods and analysisThis cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted during March 2021. A total of 630 households were selected for the study from 21 randomly selected clusters in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Correlates of high screen time were determined using a logistic model. P<0.002 was taken as significant.ResultsAmong all the participants, the mean (SD) age was 7.0 (2.2) years, with 50.3% male participation. Few participants had online classes (n=24, 3.8%). The prevalence of high screen time among the participants was very high (55.2%, 95% CI=51.3% to 59.1%), which is even higher in boys (61.8%, 95% CI=58.0% to 65.6%). The median screen time before the COVID-19 pandemic was 1.0 hours (mean rank=275.8) which increased to 2.2 hours (mean rank=116.6) during the...
Journal of Korean Medical Science
Background: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has continued for a couple of years, the long-term effects of the pandemic and the subsequent school curriculum modification on the mental health of children and parents need to be investigated. To clarify the changes that can occur during one school year and to predict the risk factors for vulnerable groups, this study identified parameters relative to children's screen time, their problematic behavior, and parental depression. Methods: A total of 186 participants were analyzed who were parents of elementary schoolchildren in South Korea. These parents were required to complete a web-based questionnaire twice. The questionnaires were conducted in June 2020 and September 2021. Participants' general demographics including family income, children's screen time, sleep patterns, problematic behavior, and parental depression were assessed via the parental questionnaire that included various measurement tools. Results: Children's body mass index (BMI) increased significantly in 2021 (18.94 ± 3.75 vs. 18.14 ± 3.30, P < 0.001). Smartphone frequency of use per week (5.35 vs. 4.54, P < 0.001) and screen time per day (3.52 vs. 3.16, P < 0.001) significantly increased during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The television screen time (2.88 vs. 3.26, P < 0.001), frequency of viewing (3.77 vs. 4.77, P < 0.001), and children's problematic behaviors significantly decreased (9.15 vs. 11.85, P < 0.001). A lower income household was a key predictor of increased smartphone frequency (B = 1.840, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.923-2.757, P < 0.001) and smartphone screen time (B = 1.992, 95% CI, 1.458-2.525, P < 0.001). The results showed that the lower income household (B = 5.624, 95% CI, 2.927-8.320, P < 0.001) and a child's psychiatric treatment history (B = 7.579, 95% CI, 5.666-9.492, P < 0.001) was the most significant predictor of problematic behaviors of children and parental depression (B = 3.476, 95% CI, 1.628-5.325, P < 0.001; B = 3.138, 95% CI, 1.827-4.450, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study suggested that children's smartphone screen time and BMI increased during COVID-19 because of the school curriculum modification following school closures in South Korea. The increased children's problematic behaviors and parental depression were predicted by lower-income households and the previous psychiatric history of children.
Young children’s screen time during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 12 countries
Scientific Reports
Older children with online schooling requirements, unsurprisingly, were reported to have increased screen time during the first COVID-19 lockdown in many countries. Here, we ask whether younger children with no similar online schooling requirements also had increased screen time during lockdown. We examined children’s screen time during the first COVID-19 lockdown in a large cohort (n = 2209) of 8-to-36-month-olds sampled from 15 labs across 12 countries. Caregivers reported that toddlers with no online schooling requirements were exposed to more screen time during lockdown than before lockdown. While this was exacerbated for countries with longer lockdowns, there was no evidence that the increase in screen time during lockdown was associated with socio-demographic variables, such as child age and socio-economic status (SES). However, screen time during lockdown was negatively associated with SES and positively associated with child age, caregiver screen time, and attitudes towards ...
2021
Corona virus (COVID-19) is associated with many risks which including the lockdown of schools, movie theaters, and screen time is increased by children with no physical activities at home. Aim of this study was to explore the relation between mothers ’practices and their children screen time spent during COVID-19 in Sohag City. Subjects: & Method: A cross-sectional study research design was used. A purposive sample of 370 mothers living in Sohag City, Egypt, from 15 June 2020 to 30 June 2020 was used to achieve the aim of the current study. Two tools were used to collect the data in the current study, tool (I): A self-administered questionnaire that consisted of two parts: part (1): Socio-demographic characteristics of parents of children, part (2): Socio-demographic characteristics of children, (II): the Parenting Practices Scale through Google form spreadsheet which presented in Facebook and Whats App groups. Results: it observed that mobile was the most type of screen used betwee...
Young children's screen time during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 11 countries
2021
This study examined children’s screen time during the first COVID-19 lockdown in a large cohort (n=2209) of 8-to-36-month-olds sampled from 15 labs across 11 countries. Caregivers reported that young infants and toddlers with no online schooling requirements were exposed to more screen time during lockdown than before lockdown. While this was exacerbated for countries with longer lockdowns, there was no evidence that the increase in screen time during lockdown was associated with children’s demographics, e.g., age, SES. However, screen time during lockdown was negatively associated with child age and SES and positively associated with caregiver screen time and attitudes towards children’s screen time. The results highlight the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on young children’s screen time.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
This comparative–descriptive multi-national research examined the screen time and playtime of preschool children aged 1–6 years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents reported on the play and screen habits of preschool-aged children on the weekday and weekends using a questionnaire on the lifestyle habits of their children. Results indicated a significant difference in screen time and playtime on the weekday and weekend before the pandemic (screen time: 1.91 ± 2.40 vs. 2.16 ± 2.60 h; playtime: 3.55 ± 2.49 vs. 4.11 ± 2.58 h, both p < 0.05), but during the COVID-19 pandemic, only the weekday–weekend difference in screen time was significantly different (screen time: 2.87 ± 3.15 vs. 3.26 ± 3.18 h, p < 0.05; playtime: 3.25 ± 3.41 vs. 3.48 ± 2.41, p > 0.05). Before- and during-COVID-19 comparisons showed that the average daily screen time increased by 150% from 2.04 h to 3.06 h (p < 0.05), while the average play time decreased by 12.3% (3.83 to 3.36 h, p < 0.05)....
Family Factors Associated with Hands-On Play and Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Child & Youth Care Forum, 2022
Background Parent-child interactions are crucial for child development. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected mental health and increased parenting challenges impacting parent-child functioning. Objective This study examined parent factors related to more and less enriching child activities during the pandemic through Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems framework. Methods A convenience sample of parents (N = 708), primarily mothers (n = 610; 87.4%) aged 35.59 years old (SD = 5.59; range = 21-72), with children ages 2-8 years completed an online questionnaire between April 14-June 1, 2020. Participants mostly resided in Canada, had an income of > $100,000, and identified as White (82.4%). Parent-child activities were measured as total weekly time and combined time across activities within two categories: hands-on play and screen time. Bivariate correlations informed blockwise linear regression models. Results For families with childcare needs, parental anxiety was associated with higher total hands-on play, combined hands-on play, and combined screen time. Families without childcare needs indicated parenting stress was associated with lower total hands-on play and combined hands-on play, and higher supervised screen time. Family structure and indices of socioeconomic status were also predictive of activities across childcare needs and child ages. Conclusions To promote high-quality parent-child interactions and positive developmental outcomes during the pandemic, childcare needs and parent wellbeing should be supported, while evidence-based guidelines for child screen time should be further researched in this context.
JAIMC: Journal of Allama Iqbal Medical College
Background & Objective: Screen time has now become a most concerned issue around the world due its negative effects on children' health. COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) during March 2022 and lockdown was one of the strategy to control disease transmission. This study aims to investigate whether this lockdown caused an increase in screen time and what are its effects on physical, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study including a sample of 260 mothers of children aged 5–13 years from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, during March to June 2021. A google survey form was developed and participants were invited using a google link on social media, parents' groups, Whats app groups and school facebook pages. Screen time was measured in number of screen hours per day. Physical health was evaluated through body mass index (BMI) reports. Children's Emotional Adjustment Scale (CEAS) and Strengt...