Multidisciplinarni Pristupi u Edukaciji i Rehabilitaciji (Aug 2024)

Screen time in preschool-aged children

  • Ana Madžar Čančar,
  • Slađana Ćalasan,
  • Bojana Vuković,
  • Sanja Živanović,
  • Bojana Mastilo,
  • Andrijana Bakoč,
  • Ivana Zečević

DOI
https://doi.org/10.59519/mper6106
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 7
pp. 57 – 65

Abstract

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The World Health Organization defines sedentary screen time as the time spent in passive screenbased entertainment (TV, computer, mobile phone), excluding active screen time, specifically time spent playing games requiring physical activity or movement. Researchers agree that preschool-aged children spend longer periods of time in front of screens than recommended for their age, contradicting WHO guidelines on sedentary screen time for children up to 5 years old. The aim of our research was to obtain data on the age at which children are first exposed to screens, determine the duration of screen exposure on a daily basis, the most common type of screen, and the situations in which preschool-aged children use them. The sample consisted of 200 children, aged 48 to 60 months, of both genders. A specially constructed sociodemographic questionnaire was used for the research, which included questions regarding the age at which the child was first exposed to screens, the duration of daily exposure, as well as the most common type of screen and situations in which the child uses them. Informants were the parents of the children included in the study. The research was conducted in preschool institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, during February and March 2024. The results of the research show that children are first exposed to screens as early as at the age of 7 to 12 months, and that screen exposure on a daily basis exceeds the recommended time by WHO guidelines for most participants. The most common type of screen to which children are exposed is TV, and the most common situations in which they use them are during meals or while parents perform various household chores. Attention should be directed towards further identifying factors leading to excessive screen usage and providing clear guidelines to parents regarding the timing, content, technology, and joint activities related to screen time for young children in various cultural settings.

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