Changes and correlates of screen time in adults and children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Trott, Mike; Driscoll, Robin; Irlado, Enrico; Pardhan, Shahina

doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101452

Cited by 121 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 139 publications

(228 reference statements)

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“…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 ]. A recent systematic review which performed a meta-analysis revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant elevation of total screen time in 67% of children, and of recreational screen time in 60% of children [ 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that trend [ 13 ]. A recent systematic review which performed a meta-analysis revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant elevation of total screen time in 67% of children, and of recreational screen time in 60% of children [ 13 ]. The total screen time increased by 0.5 h per day (95% CI 0.3–0.9) in children younger than 5 years old, 0.9 h per day (95% CI 0.3–1.5) in adolescents aged 11 to 17 years old, and 1.4 h per day (95% CI 1.1–1.7) in children aged 6 to 10 years old was reported [ 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent systematic review which performed a meta-analysis revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant elevation of total screen time in 67% of children, and of recreational screen time in 60% of children [ 13 ]. The total screen time increased by 0.5 h per day (95% CI 0.3–0.9) in children younger than 5 years old, 0.9 h per day (95% CI 0.3–1.5) in adolescents aged 11 to 17 years old, and 1.4 h per day (95% CI 1.1–1.7) in children aged 6 to 10 years old was reported [ 13 ]. There was also an elevation of leisure screen time of 0.48 h daily (95%CI 0.29–0.67) in adolescents, 0.61 h daily (95% CI 0.4–0.82) in young children, and 1.04 h daily (95% CI 0.77–1.3) in primary aged children [ 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The total screen time increased by 0.5 h per day (95% CI 0.3–0.9) in children younger than 5 years old, 0.9 h per day (95% CI 0.3–1.5) in adolescents aged 11 to 17 years old, and 1.4 h per day (95% CI 1.1–1.7) in children aged 6 to 10 years old was reported [ 13 ]. There was also an elevation of leisure screen time of 0.48 h daily (95%CI 0.29–0.67) in adolescents, 0.61 h daily (95% CI 0.4–0.82) in young children, and 1.04 h daily (95% CI 0.77–1.3) in primary aged children [ 13 ]. Moreover, there is also evidence for the decline in physical activity in children during the global pandemic [ 14 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, there is also evidence for the decline in physical activity in children during the global pandemic [ 14 ]. Thus, it appears that due to the lockdowns, school closures and remote learning during the pandemic aggravated sedentary behaviors even in the youngest children, while physical activity has decreased [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of Digital Screen Time on Dietary Habits and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents

et al. 2022

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of Digital Screen Time on Dietary Habits and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents

et al. 2022

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Screen Time and Parent-Child Talk When Children Are Aged 12 to 36 Months

Brushe,

Haag,

Melhuish

et al. 2024

JAMA Pediatr

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ImportanceGrowing up in a language-rich home environment is important for children’s language development in the early years. The concept of “technoference” (technology-based interference) suggests that screen time may be interfering with opportunities for talk and interactions between parent and child; however, limited longitudinal evidence exists exploring this association.ObjectiveTo investigate the longitudinal association between screen time and 3 measures of parent-child talk (adult words, child vocalizations, and conversational turns) when children are 12 to 36 months of age.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis Australian prospective cohort study used advanced speech recognition technology to capture young children’s screen time and home language environment, on an average 16-hour day. Data were collected from 220 families once every 6 months in the family home when children were 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age, from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021. Statistical analysis took place from November 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023.ExposureLanguage Environment Analysis (LENA) technology provided automated counts of children’s language environment and exposure to electronic noise. The exposure of interest was screen time, which was calculated based on manual coding of LENA electronic noise audio segments.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThree measures of parent-child talk were outcomes of focus: adult words, child vocalizations, and conversational turns. Separate models were run for each of the 3 outcomes and included adjustment for child sex, child age, maternal educational level, number of children at home, number of home activities, and primary caregiver’s psychological distress.ResultsThe study included 220 families (120 girls [54.6%]; mean [SD] gestational age of children, 39.3 [1.5] weeks; mean [SD] age of mother at childbirth, 31.3 [4.8] years). Adjusted linear mixed-effect models demonstrated that increases in screen time were associated with decreases in measures of parent-child talk. The largest decreases were seen at 36 months, when an additional minute of screen time was associated with a reduction of 6.6 (95% CI, −11.7 to −1.5) adult words, 4.9 (95% CI, −6.1 to −3.7) child vocalizations, and 1.1 (95% CI, −1.4 to −0.8) conversational turns.Conclusion and RelevanceFindings of this study support the notion of technoference for Australian families, whereby young children’s exposure to screen time is interfering with opportunities to talk and interact in their home environment. This finding has implications for interventions and supports aimed at promoting a language-rich home environment, with families needing support in understanding the potential association of screen time with opportunities for children and adults to talk and interact in their home environment.

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