Ethics code: NISH187536
1- National Institute of Speech and Hearing
Abstract: (700 Views)
Objectives: The present study aims to understand the screen time activities of toddlers and their parents and its association with socioeconomic status (SES), associations between toddler’s screen time and language skills, and the screen time restrictions set by the family.
Method: The participants were thirty-three typically developing toddlers in the age range of 12 to 24 months and their parents. Informed consent was obtained from the parents of all the participants who passed the screening. The children’s and their parents screen time activities and other leisure activities, the family's socioeconomic status, Receptive and expressive language scores were assessed.
Results: 96.9% of children had a mean screen time of 750 minutes in a week, that is 1.8 hours per day which was much higher than the recommended guidelines. The children were mostly exposed to smartphones and televisions. Nine children did not meet the age-appropriate language scores and all the other children had age adequate language scores despite having excess screen time. Significant correlation was not found between language scores with screen time of children and parents. A positive correlation was found between parents' screen time and SES, but not with children’s screen time and SES.
Discussion: The paper draws attention to the importance of co-viewing and interactive screen time to support the development of language skills. It also highlights the need to revise the guidelines on screen time restrictions in young children. Guidelines should include recommendations on choosing high quality age-appropriate, strategies to encourage co-viewing to enhance parent-child interaction. The paper also emphasizes the significance of restricting parent's screen time as it may invade the qualitative interactions with the child leading to language delay.
Article type:
Original Research Articles |
Subject:
Speech therapy Received: 2022/11/1 | Accepted: 2024/03/12
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