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Total time in technology use, sleep, unstructured play, and physical activity by race/ethnicity, CDS-1997 and CDS-2014. Source: Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement Time Diaries. N = 1329 for early childhood; N = 1873 for middle childhood
Source publication
Over the last two decades, technologies available to children have accelerated with the advent of wireless internet and increasing portability and affordability of electronic devices. Children’s technology use is a rapidly evolving challenge for families, organizing their everyday lives and potentially resulting in social disparities in technology...
Citations
... According to a US national survey, computer use (active screen time) among children between 6 and 12 years of age went from 18.2% to 29.2% between 1997 and 2003 (2) , while children under 8 years spending over 2 hours/day with media, tripling their mobile usage from 2013 to 2017 (3) . Due to the emergence of an intuitive touch-screen user interface on internet-enabled smart devices, the early use of technology has increased by 32% in the last two decades (4) . Watching television, streaming movies or shorter video content on mobile devices are primarily seen as passive activities resulting in increased screen time (5) . ...
Purpose
The overuse of screen-based devices results in developmental problems in children. Parents are an integral part of the children’s language development. The present study explores the parental perspectives on the impact of screen time on the language skills of typically developing school-going children using a developed questionnaire.
Methods
192 parents of typically developing children between 6 and 10 years of age participated in the study. Phase 1 of the study included the development of a questionnaire targeting the impact of screen devices on language development. The questionnaire was converted into an online survey and was circulated among the parents in Phase 2. Descriptive statistics were performed on the retrieved data and a chi-square test was done to determine the association between the use of screen devices across all language parameters.
Results
Parents reported television and smartphones to be the most used type of device, with a large proportion of children using screen-based devices for 1-2 hours per day. Most parents reported children prefer watching screens mainly for entertainment purposes, occasionally under supervision, without depending on them as potential rewards. The impact of screen-based devices on language skills has been discussed under the semantics, syntax, and pragmatic aspects of language.
Conclusion
The findings of this study will help identify the existing trends in the usage of screen-based devices by children, thereby identifying potential contributing factors towards language delays. This information will also benefit in parental counselling during the interventional planning of children with language delays.
Keywords:
Devices; Impact; Language; Parent; Screen-time
... An increase in children's screen time can also be observed regardless of their age. Another study in the US suggests an increase of 32% in children's screen time in the last two decades (Goode et al., 2020). Other studies from Germany indicate that average screen time for 2-to 3-year-old children has increased from 38 minutes to 59 minutes per day since 2014 (Feierabend et al., 2015;Kieninger et al., 2021). ...
... Time spent on screen media such as social media, gaming, and TV has substantially increased for children and adolescents over the last two decades [1,2]. Nagata et al. [3] reported that the average daily screen time was 7.7 h per day in a national sample of adolescents (N = 5412) during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is about twice as much as the pre-pandemic estimates (3.8 h per day). ...
The association between excessive screen media use and mental health problems has attracted widespread attention. The literature to date has neglected the biological mechanisms underlying such a relationship and failed to distinguish between different types of screen media activities. A sample from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study was used in the present study to elucidate the longitudinal associations between specific types of screen media use, brain development, and diverse mental health problems. The results showed that different types of screen media use have differentiated associations with mental health problems, subcortical volume, and cortical–subcortical connectivity. Specifically, more passive media use was associated with increased rule-breaking behavior, while more video game playing was associated with increased withdrawn/depressed symptoms. In addition, more social media use was associated with a reduced volume of the hippocampus, caudate, and thalamus proper. More research is needed to examine the differential effects of screen media use on neurodevelopmental processes and mental health problems across adolescence.
... Media has become a prominent feature in the lives of children; media exposure among young children also appears to be on the rise. A recent study shows that media exposure in early childhood has increased by 32% in the last two decades (Goode et al., 2019). Nearly all children (96.6%) use mobile devices, and the majority (92.2%) start using media devices before the age of 1 year. ...
Background
The prevalence of behavioral problems among preschool children is remarkably increasing in the clinical setting.
Aim
The current study aimed to investigate the association between media exposure and behavioral problems among preschool children.
Methods
This survey study recruited 560 children from 10 nurseries selected randomly, located in El-Mansoura, Egypt. Tools included socio-demographic characteristics the Media Exposure Questionnaire and the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales (CBRS-48).
Results
The participants were exposed to media for an average of 105.84 min per day and displayed moderate levels in all subscales of CBRS-48. The duration of media exposure was significantly correlated to the hyperactivity index, learning problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, conduct problem, anxiety, and psychosomatic problems (r = 0.372, 0.356, 0.323, 0.306, 0.298, 0.291, and 0.255, respectively).
Conclusion
The duration of media exposure was significantly correlated to the subscales of CBRS-48.
Implication for nursing practice
Preschool children should be engaged in concrete activities and social interactions that may lessen negative media effects such as hyperactivity, learning problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, conduct problem, anxiety, and psychosomatic problems.
... Television and watching videos online account for most screen time use [7]. A 2019 study in the U.S. reports that in the past two decades, children's media usage time increased by 32% [19]. Another research report showed that total screen time in children aged 0-2 years increased from 1.32 h to 3.05 h a day and 3-5 years from 2.47 h to 2.56 h a day between 1997 and 2014 [20]. ...
... Television and watching videos online account for most screen time use [7]. A 2019 study in the U.S. reports that in the past two decades, children's media usage time increased by 32% [19]. ...
Technology has become integral to children’s lives, impacting many aspects, from academic to socialization. Children of today’s generation are growing up with digital devices, such as mobile phones, iPads, computers, video games, and smart gadgets; therefore, screen time has become ubiquitous in children’s daily routines. This paper provides a review of screen time usage and its impact in children across multiple developmental domains: cognitive, language, physical, and socio-emotional domain of children under eight years of age. The cognitive domain considers factors such as attention span and memory; language domain examines vocabulary, speech, and language development; physical domain focuses on motor development, exercise, sleep, and diet; and social-emotional domain considers relationships, self-identity, and emotional behaviors/regulation. Our findings are mixed, as there are both benefits and drawbacks in technology use, but screen time in children requires controlled observation and monitoring for sustainable improved progress across developmental domains. Specific recommendations advise that children’s screen time per day should be limited to zero minutes (min) (0–2 years), <60 min (3–5-years), and 60 min (6–8 years).
... Research also finds family demographic characteristics related to media consumption. In particular, households with low incomes tend to watch more television than more well-resourced homes (Chen & Adler, 2019;De Craemer et al., 2018) and children of color tend to consume more media than their white peers (Goode et al., 2020;Thompson et al., 2010). Interviews with parents about their young children's media habits find a diversity of reasons for use, including distraction, education, entertainment, and family time (Brito et al., 2017;Elias & Sulkin, 2019;Ochoa & Reich, 2020). ...
... Families with low incomes and those that are non-white have not been a focus of research on family stress and media use, even though these types of families typically engage in different media uses than affluent, white families (Chen & Adler, 2019;De Craemer et al., 2018;Goode et al., 2020;Thompson et al., 2010) and, during the pandemic, appear to have increased their media use (Munzer et al., 2022). Importantly, research finds that some parenting and coparenting practices differ between families of color and white families (García Coll & Pachter, 2008) and between low-income and well-resourced families (Lareau, 2011). ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly altered family life, and research among adults and families has found increases financial stress, mental health problems, screen time, parental conflict, and child behavior problems. Given these patterns, we sought to replicate these findings with a younger and largely non-white sample. Using the Family Stress Model, we consider how these constructs might relate to each other during the pandemic. From surveys of 247 predominately Latine mothers and fathers of children under 4 years of age in the U.S., we found that financial strain was related to children’s media exposure and use, largely through impacts on parents’ mental health and coparenting relationship. Interestingly, only use of television in the background and during mealtimes were associated with increases in parents’ perception of increases in children’s behavior problems. Such findings better capture how stress may operate in a family system and offer a way to counsel parents about healthier media habits for young children.
... The use of digital technologies with and by young children is now ubiquitous. Since 1997, time spent engaged with technology in early childhood has increased by 32% (Goode et al., 2020). Technology has become a cultural tool in children's lives, enabling them to participate in entertainment and leisure activities, find information, create, communicate, and learn Joint Research Centre (European Commission) et al., 2018). ...
... There is a very significant shift in the amount of time spent watching television towards time on other devices but time-use diary data show little overall change in screentime. However, these data do not capture screentime as a secondary activity (for example, playing games on a phone while travelling to school) which international research suggests accounts for the main increase over time (see, for example, Goode et al., 2020). ...
... Time spent watching television decreased while overall digital engagement became more diverse in nature. Using the same data but focusing on the middle childhood experience (6-11-year-olds), Goode et al. (2020) reported a 23 per cent increase in technology time, again mainly as a secondary activity and usually in the context of travel. Technology time appeared to displace physical activity, especially among younger children. ...
This report looks at how the lives of nine-year-olds have changed over a decade in terms of their relationships with family and friends, their pastimes and their school experiences. It draws on data from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study, comparing nine-year-olds in 2007/8 and 2017/18 (Cohorts ’98 and ’08), a period of considerable social and policy change.
... The dynamic developments in technology over last decades resulted in a significant increase in time spent using electronic devices by children [12]. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that trend [13]. ...
Background:
Over the last few decades, the time children spend using electronic devices has increased significantly. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of screen time on dietary behaviors and physical activity in children and adolescents.
Methods:
An online survey was conducted among parents of preschool and school-aged children during the COVID-19 lockdown in Poland. There were 3127 surveys used in the analysis.
Results:
Survey responses referred to 1662 (53%) boys and 1465 (47%) girls, with a mean age of 12.1 ± 3.4 years. During a routine weekday, most children (71%) spent >4 h on educational activities using electronic devices, and 43% of children spent 1-2 h using devices for recreational purposes. The majority of children (89%) were exposed to screens during meals, and ate snacks between main meals (77%). There was an association between screen time and the exposure to screens during meals, and between screen time and time spent performing physical activity.
Conclusions:
This study revealed that the majority of children were exposed to screens during meals, which is a risk factor of obesity. The promotion of the judicious use of digital devices and healthy dietary habits associated with the use of screens may be an important component of obesity prevention strategies.
... Regardless, there is increasing evidence that knowledge artifacts in general may play an important role in children's learning. U.S. children's use of technology in general is increasing (Goode et al., 2019), giving them access to many types of knowledge artifacts such as audiobooks, videos, and other forms of digital media in addition to traditional artifacts like books. Knowledge artifacts as learning sources may be especially important to low-SES families, who emerging research suggests may place more emphasis on the potential of children learning from digital media (Domoff et al., 2017;Macias & Choi, 2021;. ...
Research has extensively studied how children epistemically evaluate people as secondhand information sources, but less is known about how they evaluate knowledge artifacts, (nonhuman information sources; e.g., books). Recent studies indicate that many young children prefer to learn from text presented by puppet informants, but little is known as to why they display this preference. Across three studies, we examine factors that may influence the likelihood of text-trust preferences in U.S. children aged 4–6 (n = 234), including the epistemic authority they may assign to puppets, humans, or text; reading ability; and text informant preferences. Results indicate children’s informant preference, but not reading ability or informant type, reliably predict text-trust preferences. Moreover, this preference is associated with inferences about the epistemic authority of text rather than informants regardless of whether children evaluate puppets or humans. Implications for future research questions and methodology examining children’s learning from knowledge artifacts are discussed.
