Screen Media Use in Hospitalized Children

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Screen media overuse is associated with negative physical and mental health effects in children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen media use at home; however, there are no similar guidelines for children’s hospitals. This study was conducted to explore caregiver (parent or other guardian) perceptions about screen media use, compare at-home with in-hospital screen media use, and measure screen use among hospitalized children. METHODS: We obtained data from a convenience cohort of hospitalized children at a single, comprehensive tertiary care children’s hospital over 3 periods of 2 weeks each from 2013 to 2014. Home and hospital screen media use was measured through survey and study personnel directly observed hospital screen use. Descriptive statistics are reported and generalized estimating equation was used to identify characteristics associated with screen media use. RESULTS: Observation (n = 1490 observations) revealed screen media on 80.3% of the time the hospitalized child was in the room and awake, and 47.8% of observations with direct attention to a screen. Surveyed caregivers reported their child engaging in significantly more screen media use in the hospital setting as compared with home, and 42% of caregivers reported the amount of screen time used by their child in the hospital was more than they would have liked. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized children have access to a variety of screen media, and this media is used at rates far higher than recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Children’s hospitals should consider developing guidelines for screen media use.

Night-time Screen Media Use in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

“…To our knowledge, only 1 study has been done on the effects of screen time in hospitalized children. 18 In this study, parents reported their children engaging in significantly more screen time (beyond AAP recommendations) in the hospital setting compared to home use. 18 While this study demonstrated the significant role of screen use within the hospital environment, it did not address screen use during the evening to night hours nor in the ICU setting.…”

“…AAP recommends that children under the age of 18 months avoid nearly all screen media other than video-chatting with relatives; and for children 18 to 24 months to have less than an hour of parent guided quality screen time. 18 For children 2 to 5 screen use should be limited to 1 hour of high quality programing. In this study, we extrapolated active engaged screen use over the observation period into an estimate of screen time in a 24-hour period ( Table 2 ).…”

“…Despite these recommendations, hospitals continue to increase the availability of screens with limited guidelines on its use. 18 …”

“…Despite these recommendations, hospitals continue to increase the availability of screens with limited guidelines on its use. 18 Children who spend time in the hospital are at a unique risk given that their medical condition; and risks associated with the hospital environment that may negatively alter their typical neurodevelopmental trajectory. 19 For hospitalized children, watching various forms of screen media has become a common activity, especially when adult interaction is limited.…”

Effects of a Poetry Intervention on Emotional Wellbeing in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients

“…Researchers in one study found that screen media was used in 80.3% of observations of awake hospitalized children, and children directly attended to the screen in nearly 50% of observations. 21 Screen overuse is associated with negative physical and mental health effects in children, such as interference with sleep, eating, and mood. 22 Poetry offers a beneficial screenless activity that allows children to spend time away from television and iPads.…”