Impact of e-Discipline on Children's Screen Time

Abstract

With rapid technological advancement, the prevalence and undesirable effects of excess screen time on children have become a mounting issue worldwide. There are many studies investigating the phenomenon's impact on society (e.g., behavioral, academic, health), but studies that uncover the causes and factors that increase the odds of children's excess screen time are limited. To this end, this study introduces the term ''e-discipline'' to refer to systematic practices that use screen devices as discipline tools. As such, the aim of this study is to investigate the association between e-discipline and children's screen time by gender. Analysis was performed on 3,141 children aged 7-11 years old. Bivariate logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds of exceeding the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines of 2 hours of screen time per day by boys and girls whose parents practice e-discipline. The results showed that children whose parents used screen devices as discipline tools had significantly more screen time compared to children whose parents did not. Furthermore, no statistically significant gender differences were found in the odds of exceeding the recommended screen time under e-discipline. Recommendations stemming from all the results are discussed.

Relationships among smartphone addiction, stress, academic performance, and satisfaction with life

“…However, research investigating smartphone use and how it is affecting people's lives is still at a very early stage. Nevertheless, studies so far have shown that compulsive use of smartphones may lead to psychological disorders (Beranuy, Oberst, Carbonell, & Chamarro, 2009;Hawi & Rupert, 2015;Lee, Chang, Lin, & Cheng, 2014;Thom ee et al, 2011). Belief in the severity of non-substance digital addiction has led some governmental and nongovernmental organizations to open rehabilitation centers to treat or cure those suffering with digital dependency such as Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare 1 and reStart.…”

Internet gaming disorder in Lebanon: Relationships with age, sleep habits, and academic achievement

“…In the sample of the aforementioned Hong Kong study, around 40% reported having spent money on gaming, of which 3.6% spent above US $65, and 9.9% spent between US $25 and $64, monthly ( Wang et al., 2014 ). In addition, it has also been noted in many studies that gender (being male) and age (being younger) correlate with the IGD ( Hawi & Rupert, 2015 ; Hawi & Samaha, 2017a , 2017b ; Rehbein et al., 2016 ; Samaha & Hawi, 2017 ; Wittek et al., 2015 ).…”

Parenting and Digital Media

“…This can be done in either an autonomy-restrictive or an autonomy-granting way, 10 and includes e-Discipline in which media use is granted as rewards for good behavior and prohibited in reaction to bad behavior. 11 Active mediation refers to parent-child conversations about media, including parental attempts to provide children with critical viewing skills regarding media. For example, a parent might discuss themes of bullying after the child views a television program containing aggressive behavior.…”