A longitudinal examination of daily amounts of screen time and technoference in infants aged 2-11 months and associations with maternal sociodemographic factors

Reducing harm and promoting positive media use strategies: new perspectives in understanding the impact of preschooler media use on health and development

Most children grow up in homes with easy access to multiple screens. Screen use by children between the ages of 0 to 5 has become a worldwide preoccupation. In the present narrative review, we examine child and parent screen use and its contribution to physical, cognitive, and social developmental outcomes. As research has mostly focused on the adverse consequences of screen media, we aim to depict both the negative and the positive influences of screen usage. To provide a more nuanced portrait of the potential benefits and harms of screen use, we examine how consequences of media use vary according to the content of media (ex., educational, violent), context (ex., using screens during mealtimes), and the nature (ex., passive vs active use) of child screen use. Our review supports existing screen time guidelines and recommendations and suggests that media content, the context of use, and the nature of child use, as well as the parent's own screen use, be considered clinically. Future research should seek to clarify how these dimensions jointly contribute to child screen use profiles and associated consequences. Finally, child sex, behavioral/temperamental difficulties, and family adversity appear to contribute to child screen use and its consequences and should be considered in future research. Suggestions for harm-reduction approaches are discussed.

Impacts of Parental Technoference on Parent-Child Relationships and Child Health and Developmental Outcomes: A Scoping Review

Parental technological immersion during parenting activities has been shown to alter parent-child interactions. This concept, referred to as parental technoference, has the potential to affect parent-child relationships and children's health and development. This scoping review utilized the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology to identify, describe, and summarize: (a) evidence of parental technoference on parent-child relationships, and children's health and development; (b) definitions and measurements of parental technoference; (c) research designs and methodologies used to investigate parental technoference; and (d) literature gaps. We searched MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews, JBI EBP Database, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus, as well as the reference lists of included studies for literature on parental technology use during parenting and parent-child interactions and its effects on parent-child relationships, and children's health and development. Sixty-four studies, found in 61 publications, met the review criteria. The effect of parental technoference on parent-child relationships was most studied, and findings demonstrated that parents recognized, and researchers observed, changes in parents' and children's behaviors. Adolescent self-reported mental health concerns and maladaptive technological behaviors (e.g., cyberbullying) were associated with more parental technoference, and findings highlighted safety concerns for children. Other aspects of children's development, although less studied, were also negatively impacted by parental technoference. No significant associations were found between parental technoference and children's medical and physiological health, yet these associations were the least studied. Additional research is needed to understand these associations and evaluate interventions designed to mitigate technoference harms.

Correlates of screen time in the early years (0-5 years): A systematic review

The majority of young children engage in high levels of screen time. To inform future interventions, knowledge on correlates of screen time is important. This review expands on previous work by focusing on the entire early childhood range, and including a broad focus regarding types of correlates and screens. A literature search (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus) was performed from 2000 up to October 2021. Included studies (cross-sectional and prospective) examined associations between a potential correlate and screen time (duration or frequency) in typically developing, apparently healthy children aged 0-5 years. Methodological quality was assessed by two independent researchers. Fifty-two of 6,614 studies were included. Two studies had high methodological quality. We found moderate evidence for a positive association between an electronic device in the bedroom, parental screen time, having a TV on at home, descriptive norms and screen time, and a negative association between sleep duration, household features, high value on physical activity, monitoring screen time, being in childcare, parental self-efficacy and screen time. We found no evidence for an association for child sex, body mass index, physical activity, temperament, number of siblings, being a first-born, neighborhood-related factors, socio-economic indicators, and parental marital status, physical activity, weight status, depression, wellbeing, sex, age and positive outcome expectations. The evidence for other investigated correlates was inconsistent or insufficient. Despite the evidence for moderate associations, we were unable to draw strong conclusions. More high-quality research is needed to identify correlates of screen time in early childhood.

The influence of sleep patterns and screen time on the sleep needs of infants and toddlers: A cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of screen time and sleep patterns on the sleep needs of infants and toddlers.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional data were collected from 304 parents of children aged 6 to 36 months old. The screen use of children and parents was assessed with seven questions and A Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ) was used to assess infant sleep.

RESULTS

The results of this study indicate that children's adherence to the recommended sleep standards is poor. The most important criteria that caused poor sleeping were the number of awakenings at night, the duration of sleeplessness at night and the minimum total sleep time of <9 h. The most frequently used screen type in all of the age groups and parents was TV, followed by smartphones. As the age of the children increased, the rate of all screen-type use also increased. Factors predicting sleep needs included bedtime, the PED usage of children, parents' watching TV and care of the children by the babysitter.

CONCLUSIONS

Sleep needs are associated with the sleep patterns and screen usage of the children and parents.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Given that screen usage behaviors are tracked from infancy to early childhood, these findings highlight the need for prevention and intervention efforts, as well as for education and policy measures, to limit screen use and exposure from an early age.

Demographic Correlates of Movement Behaviors in Infants: A Longitudinal Study

BACKGROUND

Demographic correlates of movement behaviors in infants are unclear. This study examined the longitudinal associations between demographic correlates and movement behaviors in infants.

METHODS

Participants were 411 parents of infants from the Early Movers project in Edmonton, Canada. Movement behaviors, infant and parental age, and nonparental care time were assessed using a parental questionnaire at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Other infant and parental demographic variables were assessed at 2 months of age. Linear and generalized linear mixed models were conducted.

RESULTS

Infant age was associated with all movement behaviors except for restrained time. White infants and those with older parents had less tummy time but increased odds of having reading time. Infants of the most educated parents also had lower tummy time. Higher parental education and more siblings were associated with no screen time and longer infant sleep time. Infants with immigrant parent(s) were less likely to have reading time. No associations were found for infant sex, time spent in nonparental care, and parental marital status.

CONCLUSION

Since no single demographic group demonstrated healthy patterns for all movement behaviors, promotion of a healthy balance of movement behaviors may be needed universally for all infants.

Associations among average parental educational attainment, maternal stress, and infant screen exposure at 6 months of age

Evidence suggests that increased use of screens early in life may have negative developmental consequences for children. However, little is known concerning parental factors that predict initial screen exposure in infancy. The primary goal of this study was to examine whether parental educational attainment and maternal stress were associated with infant screen exposure by 6 months of age. A diverse sample of mothers (N = 93) was recruited prenatally. In a follow-up visit when the infants were six months of age (N = 82), we examined factors that may be associated with initial infant exposure to screens. First, mothers reported whether they had already exposed their infants to screens. Thereafter, those mothers who reported already having exposed their infants to screens were further queried to determine the extent of infant screen use. Results demonstrated that among infants exposed to screens, mothers reported an average of nearly 3 h of daily screen use. Average parental educational attainment, but not maternal stress, was significantly associated with initial infant exposure. Of those families who endorsed screen exposure by 6 months, 70 % reported a screen in the room where the child sleeps, nearly half reported using screens to help calm the infant, and about a third reported using a screen at least sometimes during meals, when going to sleep, and while waiting. Parental education around infant screen use behaviors may be important to help promote child development and outcomes.