Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective: To describe the prevalence of interactive media (tablets and smartphones) use by children aged two to four years old, as well as to characterize this use, and investigate habits, practices, parents’ participation and opinion about their child’s interactive media use.Methods: A cross-sectional study with 244 parents or legal guardians of children enrolled in daycare centers in a small Brazilian municipality was conducted. A questionnaire based on interactive media use and related habits were applied, and economic level was assessed. Children were divided into three different groups according to media use: Group 1 did not use (n=81); Group 2 uses up to 45 min/day (n=83) and Group 3 uses more than 45 min/day (n=80). Then, they were compared with regard to the sociodemographic variables and media use by the Chi-square test and Student’s t-test.Results: The prevalence of interactive media use was 67.2%, with a mean time of use of 69.2 minutes/day (confidence interval of 95% - 95%CI 57.1-81.2). The activities most performed were watching videos (55%), listening to music (33%) and playing games (28%). Most parents reported allowing media use in order to stimulate their child’s development (58.4%), accompanying them during use (75.2%), and limiting media time (86.4%).Conclusions: We observed high interactive media use prevalence. The predominant way of using these devices was marked by parent-child participation. Most parents reported believing in the benefits of interactive media. Passive activities were more frequent, with restricted time of use.
Highlights
The use of interactive media is on the rise among young children. 1-3 They have incorporated the use of devices such as smartphones and tablets into their daily routine
This study aimed to describe the prevalence of interactive media use by children aged two to four years old, as well as characterize its use, investigate habits, practices, and the participation and opinion of parents regarding its use
A total of 244 children with ages ranging from 24 to 47 months participated in the research
Summary
The use of interactive media is on the rise among young children. 1-3 They have incorporated the use of devices such as smartphones and tablets into their daily routine. 1-3 They have incorporated the use of devices such as smartphones and tablets into their daily routine. This equipment is part of a multimedia system that concomitantly integrates various visual and audio elements (sounds, digital images, compact discs, etc.), which are controlled by computers. The literature reports that 75% of two- and three-year-olds exceed recommended use time, 1 and parents, when questioned, report partially following the recommendations of the American Pediatric Association regarding media use.[15] In addition, they are often prompted by doubts and uncertainties about the use of new technology in their families and are concerned about the potential negative effects of technology use on their children’s future.[16]
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