O064 Screen Time, Sleep, and Behavioural Development in Preschool Children: Relationships Caregiver Rules and Perceptions of Screen Time

Abstract

Abstract Sleep is highly important for children’s behaviour (Touchette et al., 2007). However, screen time is associated with poorer sleep (Janssen et al., 2020), and greater behavioural difficulties (Hinkley et al., 2018), but they are rarely investigated together. Caregivers’ rules and perceptions about screen time are also associated with children’s engagement with screens. Caregivers of preschoolers completed online questionnaires about children’s screen time, sleep-related behaviours (Child Sleep-Wake Scale), behaviour (Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL, 1.5-5)), person-social development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3)), and questions about their rules and perceptions of screen time. Greater screen times predicted lower personal-social scores, and better sleep-related behaviours predicted lower internalising scores. Greater screen times were predicted by caregivers’ tendency to disagree about limits on screen time and a greater inclination to think limits cause conflict. Lower child personal-social scores predicted caregivers’ tendency to disagree about screen time limits. Greater child externalising behaviours predicted caregivers’ belief that screen time helps calm their child and that time limits cause conflicts. Poorer child sleep also predicted caregivers’ tendency to think screen time limits cause conflict. Therefore, caregivers’ rules and perceptions are associated with children’s screen times, but also children’s behaviours are associated with caregivers’ rules and perceptions about screen time. This is concerning as screen time predicted poorer personal-social behaviours in children. Providing caregivers with alternative ways to manage behaviours and conflicts surrounding time limits could also help in managing children’s screen times. This could have long-term implications for healthy sleep, social, and behavioural development in children.