A separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education—The need of hour for a child’s education in post-COVID era
Background: The duration of time spent on electronic or digital media is defined as screen time. Digital media expansion and COVID-19 pandemic have made children more inclined towards screen time both as a necessity and as a habit. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study on children, aged two...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_729_23 |
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| author | Neha Thakur Rai Arvind Kumar Singh Devesh Kumar Shukla Narendra Rai |
| author_facet | Neha Thakur Rai Arvind Kumar Singh Devesh Kumar Shukla Narendra Rai |
| author_sort | Neha Thakur Rai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
The duration of time spent on electronic or digital media is defined as screen time. Digital media expansion and COVID-19 pandemic have made children more inclined towards screen time both as a necessity and as a habit.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional study on children, aged two to five years, was conducted for one year (2021–2022). Parents were asked to self-fill a designed questionnaire. Impacts on physical and mental health of children and the necessity of screen time were assessed by paediatrician and psychologist.
Results:
A total of 650 children (354 boys and 296 girls) participated in the study. The mean screen time of parents was 6.4 hours. ± 2.32 and children were 4.95 ± 2.34 hours. 98.75% of children had screen time more than that recommended for age. Children were exposed to screen time at the tender age of three months. COVID-19 increased screen time by more than 1 hour in 92% of children. The most common gadget used was mobile phones (n = 628, 96.6%), followed by television (n = 511, 78.7%). Screen time had a negligible effect (P = 0.611) on the nutritional status of children. However, it had a significant effect on psychosocial behaviour (P = 0.05), ophthalmologic problems (P = 0.03), sleep cycle (P = 0.00), and academic performance (P = 0.002). Fathers’ occupation (P = 0.00), age of onset of screen time (P = 0.00), and parental setting of time limit for screen time (P = 0.009) were significant contributors to increase screen time.
Conclusion:
Findings suggested poor awareness among parents/caregivers regarding the negative impact of high screen time on children. Parents felt that screen time was a part of a normal day-to-day life and was important, particularly in post-COVID era when education was shifted from schools to laptops. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e3876e8a34e94580beb10f82c3a534c2 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2249-4863 2278-7135 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
| spelling | doaj-art-e3876e8a34e94580beb10f82c3a534c22025-07-05T11:20:14ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632278-71352025-06-011462210221510.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_729_23A separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education—The need of hour for a child’s education in post-COVID eraNeha Thakur RaiArvind Kumar SinghDevesh Kumar ShuklaNarendra RaiBackground: The duration of time spent on electronic or digital media is defined as screen time. Digital media expansion and COVID-19 pandemic have made children more inclined towards screen time both as a necessity and as a habit. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study on children, aged two to five years, was conducted for one year (2021–2022). Parents were asked to self-fill a designed questionnaire. Impacts on physical and mental health of children and the necessity of screen time were assessed by paediatrician and psychologist. Results: A total of 650 children (354 boys and 296 girls) participated in the study. The mean screen time of parents was 6.4 hours. ± 2.32 and children were 4.95 ± 2.34 hours. 98.75% of children had screen time more than that recommended for age. Children were exposed to screen time at the tender age of three months. COVID-19 increased screen time by more than 1 hour in 92% of children. The most common gadget used was mobile phones (n = 628, 96.6%), followed by television (n = 511, 78.7%). Screen time had a negligible effect (P = 0.611) on the nutritional status of children. However, it had a significant effect on psychosocial behaviour (P = 0.05), ophthalmologic problems (P = 0.03), sleep cycle (P = 0.00), and academic performance (P = 0.002). Fathers’ occupation (P = 0.00), age of onset of screen time (P = 0.00), and parental setting of time limit for screen time (P = 0.009) were significant contributors to increase screen time. Conclusion: Findings suggested poor awareness among parents/caregivers regarding the negative impact of high screen time on children. Parents felt that screen time was a part of a normal day-to-day life and was important, particularly in post-COVID era when education was shifted from schools to laptops.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_729_23addictionbehaviourcoronavirushealthscreen timetechnology |
| spellingShingle | Neha Thakur Rai Arvind Kumar Singh Devesh Kumar Shukla Narendra Rai A separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education—The need of hour for a child’s education in post-COVID era Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care addiction behaviour coronavirus health screen time technology |
| title | A separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education—The need of hour for a child’s education in post-COVID era |
| title_full | A separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education—The need of hour for a child’s education in post-COVID era |
| title_fullStr | A separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education—The need of hour for a child’s education in post-COVID era |
| title_full_unstemmed | A separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education—The need of hour for a child’s education in post-COVID era |
| title_short | A separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education—The need of hour for a child’s education in post-COVID era |
| title_sort | separate set of guidelines for screen time used for recreation versus education the need of hour for a child s education in post covid era |
| topic | addiction behaviour coronavirus health screen time technology |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_729_23 |
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