Effects of mobile device use on emotional and behavioral problems in the CBCL among preschoolers: Do shared reading and maternal depression matter?

Problematic Digital Technology Use Measures in Children Aged 0 to 6 Years: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

In the interest of accurately assessing the effects of digital technology use in early childhood, researchers and experts have emphasized the need to conceptualize and measure children's digital technology use beyond screen time. Researchers have argued that many patterns of early digital technology use could be problematic, resulting in the emerging need to list and examine their measures.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to review existing empirical literature that is using measures for problematic digital technology use in preschool children with the end goal of identifying a set of reliable and valid measures, predicting negative outcomes for children's health, development, or well-being.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review across the Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases to identify peer-reviewed publications that were published from January 2012 to December 2023, were written in the English language, described an empirical study, and included a measure of problematic digital technology use beyond exposure (ie, screen time) in children aged 0 to 6 years.

RESULTS

The search yielded 95 empirical studies, in which 18 composite measures of problematic use and 23 measures of specific problematic use aspects were found. Existing composite measures conceptualize problematic use as either a group of risky behaviors or as a group of symptoms of a presumed underlying disorder, with the latter being more common. Looking at their conceptual background and psychometric properties, existing composite measures fall short of reliably assessing all the crucial aspects of problematic digital technology use in early childhood. Therefore, the benefits and shortcomings of single-aspect problematic digital technology use measures are evaluated and discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of current research, early exposure to digital technologies, device use before sleep, and solitary device use represent measures that have been consistently associated with negative outcomes for children. In addition, potential measures of problematic use include device use during meals, device use for emotional regulation, device multitasking, and technoference, warranting further research. Public health benefits of defining problematic digital technology use as a group of risky behaviors rather than a group of addiction symptoms are discussed.

Parental norms and perceptions regarding use of mobile devices by children under five years

BACKGROUND

(1) Most parents are concerned about their children's time on mobile devices.

BACKGROUND

(2) Unrestricted access is associated with increased use of mobile devices in children.

BACKGROUND

(3) Parents are concerned about early exposure to mobile devices by children.

BACKGROUND

(4) Parental presence influences children's mobile device usage time.

BACKGROUND

(5) Need for education and collaboration.

to describe the norms and perceptions of a sample of Spanish parents and guardians on the use of mobile devices (smartphone and/or tablet) by their children and their association with such use.

a quantitative, analytical, cross-sectional, online, exploratory study was conducted with a non-probability sample of parents or guardians of children using smartphones or tablets. The virtual questionnaire consisted of 44 questions and was available at https://www.kenkolab.org/participa/ .

the total number of participants (parents or guardians) was 183 people. It was observed that 26.2% of parents admitted that their children had free and unrestricted access to smartphones or tablets. Associations were identified between time spent using mobile devices and parental attitudes, such as permission without time limitation and use as a reward or punishment. Approximately half of the respondents believe that their children use the mobile device longer than recommended.

most parents exercise some control over their children's use of devices. Acting on parental norms and perceptions is vital to success in addressing children's time spent on mobile devices. Community nursing could be a vehicle for education in healthy screen consumption habits in early childhood.