Media Use in Early Childhood and Parental Attitudes
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Abstract
Background: Current reports discovered increased screen media usage in children, for which improper use can have negative impacts on the development, behavior, and health. This is especially true in early childhood which is a crucial time for brain development. In order to effectively supervise screen media usage, it is necessary to understand the usage behavior of children and parents.
Objectives: To study screen media usage behavior in early childhood as well as parental views towards children’s use of media.
Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study of 326 parents with children aged 0-5 years by questionnaire at a pediatric clinic from July to September 2019.
Results: Most children under 2 years were exposed to electronic screen media (83.9%); 63.5 percent of children used a mobile device on a daily basis more than television (53.4%). The median screen time was 60 minutes a day for each activity, while 32.8 percent of the children were exposed to more than one media device simultaneously. Children 2 to 5 years of age used media multitasking more than children under 2 years (p<0.01). Children used media devices before bedtime at 41.7% and during meals at 23.3%, for which children 2 to 5 years of age used media devices both before bedtime and during meals significantly more than children under 2 years (p<0.01, p<0.02 respectively). Parents gave children media devices when doing house chores and to keep them calm at 54.9% and 41.4% respectively. 95.1% of parents agreed that children benefit from the screen media and 88.7% of parents agreed that it was difficult to control media usage. 17.4 percent of parents knew recommendations for children’s use of media and 43.6 percent of parents had been advised on this topic by healthcare providers.
Conclusion: The study found improper use of screen media in many ways. Parents had insufficient knowledge and understanding about children’s use of media. Health supervision of screen media usage is urgently needed with more systematic screening of children’s media habits.
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References
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