Screen Time in the Coronavirus 2019 Era: International Trends of Increasing Use Among 3- to 7-Year-Old Children

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate changes in electronic screen-based media use in 3-to 7-year-old children across six countries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.Study design: Between April and July 2020, parents of 2516 children completed online survey measures reporting current ("now") and retrospective ("before the pandemic") screen-based media use for the purposes of entertainment, educational app use, and socializing with family and friends. Parents also reported family socioeconomic characteristics and impacts of the pandemic to their physical wellbeing (eg, whether a family member or friend had been diagnosed with COVID-19) and social disruption (e.g., whether family experienced a loss of income or employment due to the pandemic).Results: On average, children engaged with screens over 50 minutes more during the pandemic than before. This was largely driven by increases in screen use for entertainment purposes (nearly 40 minutes) and for use of educational apps (over 20 minutes). There was no overall change in screen use for socializing with family and friends. Children from lower socioeconomic status households increased screen use both for entertainment and educational app use more so than did children from higher socioeconomic status households. Conclusions:The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has increased overall electronic screenbased media use. As lives become increasingly digital by necessity, further research is needed to better understand positive and negative consequences of electronic screen-based media use.

Electronic screen device usage and screen time among preschool-attending children in a suburban area of Sri Lanka

“…A recent large scale survey done in several countries reported a significant increase in screen time among preschool children globally during the pandemic [ 31 ]. Another survey carried out among children aged between 3–7 years from six countries revealed an average of 50-min increase in daily screen time during the pandemic, of which approximately 40 min accounted for entertainment [ 10 ].…”

“…Increased use of electronic screen devices has become a significant health problem in the paediatric population worldwide [ 8 ]. Studies done in developed countries have shown a rapid increase in the rate of screen device usage among children over the past decade [ 9 , 10 ]. Similarly, the average age of using electronic screen devices has declined steadily [ 11 ].…”

Associations between Parental Factors and Children’s Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea

“…Regrettably, the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since early 2020 further increased the risk of excessive screen use by children [ 6 ]. With school closures and lockdown policies implemented in many parts of the world at the beginning of the pandemic, children were confined at home with their parents, with few activities available other than using digital devices [ 7 – 11 ].…”

Informing State-Wide Coalition Efforts to Implement and Integrate Nutrition Best Practices in Early Care and Education: Focus Group Insights from Child Care Providers

“…The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on increased screen time for all ages [ 61 ] is troubling given that screen time has been associated with obesity [ 62 ] and is a risk factor for severe obesity in children under 5 [ 63 ]. Children ages 3–7 across six countries reported increased screen time [ 64 ] and even children as young as 8–36 months are acquiring more screen time than before COVID-19 [ 65 ]. Future research should explore what providers know about why screen-time limits are recommended and to help develop training and tools to facilitate conversations between providers and parents about the importance of limiting screen time.…”