Children's Media Exposure Research Articles

Screen time and social media exposure in children and adolescents - the landscape

Abstract Dr. Cecilia Elias is a Public Health Consultant, collaborating with the Infant, Youth, Sexual and Reproductive Health Division at the Health Directorate General, in Lisbon, Portugal. Following on from John’s introduction, Cecilia will dig deeper into the impacts of the omnipresence of social media and phones in modern society. She will provide an overview of the harms and benefits for today’s youth. She will highlight data for example on impaired development of language, cognitive and social skills from screen exposure at young ages, and increased rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and school refusal among adolescents with problematic social media usage, including examples of significant outcomes. Exposure to disturbing and harmful content on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram will be covered also.

MENINGKATKAN KESADARAN LITERASI MEDIA PADA ANAK DI DESA PAJAGAN KECAMATAN SAJIRA KABUPATEN LEBAK BANTEN

The literacy level of the Indonesian people is quite low. This is based on the Indonesian Digital Literacy Index organized by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics and Katadata Insight Center (KIC) in 2021, Indonesia's digital literacy index is at 3.49 and Digital Safety gets an index score of 3.12. In this low literacy culture, it is hoped that it will not have bad implications for children. Because according to data from the Ministry of Communication and Information, generation Z and Y internet access lasts more than 6 hours. These data show that digital media exposure in children is much greater and of higher intensity. In the development of literacy in several major cities in Indonesia, Banten occupies the 9th position for Literacy but in terms of the fulfillment of infrastructure, it is ranked 5th at the bottom. Children as the next generation to get appropriate exposure and awareness of the importance of literacy. In this study FGD and interview techniques were used as well as observation in collecting data packaged in descriptive qualitative data. From this data it is known that the urgency of literacy in children cannot be carried out without support from various parties. Literacy suggestions must be raised at the nearest scale to provide significant awareness. Data shows that parents are the main center of children's activities and a trusted source for children, besides that friends and education are the main supporting parts. However, the existence of the media is an important variable in children's awareness of literacy.

The Development of a Parental Questionnaire (QQ-MediaSEED) on Bilingual Children’s Quantity and Quality of Digital Media Use at Home

The quantity and quality of children's digital screen media exposure is an emerging area of early childhood studies because of its strong social relevance, and this has been particularly true since the COVID-19 pandemic. The few existing parental questionnaires on children's digital screen media exposure mainly focus on monolingual children's media habits and address either the quantity or quality of children's media exposure. Inspired by the existing instruments, the current study introduces a new parental questionnaire to comprehensively assess the duration, frequency, content, design, and use of bilingual children's digital screen media exposure at home, before and since the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus group discussions and the first wave of our data collection on 141 3–6 years old Singaporean bilingual children indicate good face validity and internal consistency of the parental questionnaire. Our results reveal substantial differences in children’s quantity and quality of daily digital screen media exposure, as well as the discrepancies in their digital media habits between English and their mother tongue languages, before and since the COVID-19 pandemic.

All in the Family? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Parenting and Family Environment as Risk Factors for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children.

Parenting and family environment have significant impact on child development, including development of executive function, attention, and self-regulation, and may affect the risk of developmental disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This paper examines the relationship of parenting and family environment factors with ADHD. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in 2014 and identified 52 longitudinal studies. A follow-up search in 2021 identified 7 additional articles, for a total of 59 studies that examined the association of parenting factors with ADHD outcomes: ADHD overall (diagnosis or symptoms), ADHD diagnosis specifically, or presence of the specific ADHD symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. For parenting factors that were present in three or more studies, pooled effect sizes were calculated separately for dichotomous or continuous ADHD outcomes, accounting for each study’s conditional variance. Factors with sufficient information for analysis were parenting interaction quality (sensitivity/warmth, intrusiveness/reactivity, and negativity/harsh discipline), maltreatment (general maltreatment and physical abuse), parental relationship status (divorce, single parenting), parental incarceration, and child media exposure. All factors showed a significant direct association with ADHD outcomes, except sensitivity/warmth which had an inverse association. Parenting factors predicted diagnosis and overall symptoms as well as inattentive and hyperactive symptoms when measured, but multiple factors showed significant heterogeneity across studies. These findings support the possibility that parenting and family environment influences ADHD symptoms and may affect a child’s likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD. Prevention strategies that support parents, such as decreasing parenting challenges and increasing access to parent training in behavior management, may improve children’s long-term developmental health.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11121-022-01358-4.

Family Resilience, Media Exposure, and Children's Mental Health in China During COVID-19

This study aims to describe children's mental health conditions in the time of COVID-19 and its associations with the risk factor (media exposure) and the protective factor (family resilience) during COVID-19. The study took place from February 13th to February 29th, 2020, at the peak of the outbreak all across China. In total 441 children (M = 11.83 years old, SD = 0.79) from Jiangxi province, China, filled out online surveys. The results showed that children's rates of depression were relatively high and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates were low. Based on the results of multiple linear regression analyses, family resilience was negatively associated with children's mental health issues including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and poor sleep quality counting the effects of children's age, gender, and media exposure. Children's media exposure to COVID-related news reports did not significantly contribute to the total variance of children's mental health symptoms. The findings guide the development of prevention and interventions to mobilize families’ strengths and resilience for reducing children's maladjustment during the occurrence of pandemics.

Associations between advertisement-supported media exposure and dietary quality among preschool-age children

Foods of low nutritional quality are heavily marketed to children, and exposure to food ads shapes children's preferences and intake towards advertised foods. Whether food ad exposure independently relates to an overall lower diet quality among children remains unclear. We examined the association between ad-supported media use, a proxy for food ad exposure, and diet quality using the baseline data (2014–2015) from 535 3-5-year-olds in a community-based cohort study. Parents reported their child's dietary intake over 3 days via a diary, and diet quality was assessed with the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) where higher scores reflect greater adherence to USDA dietary guidelines. Children's media exposure was measured through online parent surveys. Mean HEI score was 54.5 (SD = 9.4). In models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and metrics of parent diet quality, children's HEI scores were 0.5 points lower (adjusted beta = −0.5 [95% CI: 0.8, −0.1]; P < 0.01) for each 1-h increment in weekly viewing of ad-supported children's TV networks. Children's use of media that may have food ads (e.g., apps, online games) also related to a lower diet quality yet to a lesser extent (adjusted beta −0.2 [-0.2, −0.1]; P < 0.01). In contrast, children's ad-free media use was not associated with diet quality (P = 0.21). Findings support the premise that exposure to food advertisements via media may result in a lower quality diet among children independently of other risk factors.

Media exposure and language experience: Examining associations from home observations in Mexican immigrant families in the US

The current exploratory study describes exposure to digital media in young children from Mexican immigrant homes and its association with language input and output. Using multiple recordings of children’s home environments, we report on the rate (i.e., percentage of total recording time), language (Spanish or English), and type (adult- or child-directed programming) of auditory media exposure in toddlers under three years of age (N = 30; Mage = 20;3 months). We also examine total adult words and adult-child conversational turns, as indicators of child language input, and the number of child language vocalizations as a measure of early language development. Findings showed that digital media comprised approximately 14 % of the child language environment that families selected to record, with wide variability observed. Children were more likely to be exposed to media in Spanish than English and adult-directed than child-directed programming. Children’s general media exposure was negatively associated with the amount of children’s vocalizations and conversational turns but not the quantity of adult words in the environment, suggesting that the relation between media exposure and child language development is likely not mediated by a general decrease in adult input in Mexican immigrant homes. Instead, media exposure may decrease opportunities for children to engage in conversation and practice language expression, both critical mechanisms for successful language acquisition. Selection of child-directed programming may encourage child vocalizations but is less likely to be in Spanish in these homes, which may reduce opportunities for engagement with Spanish-dominant adults. Together these findings provide a window into the nature of media exposure in children from Mexican immigrant homes and into the associations between media and language input and output. Directions for future research are discussed.

Early Social Experience and Digital-Media Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To study the early social experience and digital media exposure in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comparison with typically developed children. Details of digital-media exposure and early social experience in 65 children with ASD were compared with those in a control group of equal number of typically developed children, matched for age and gender. Prenatal and perinatal factors were also studied. The diagnosis of ASD was based on the International Clinical Epidemiology Network (INCLEN) diagnostic tool and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria. Variables which were biologically relevant and has a P value of <0.05 in the univariate analysis were analyzed by logistic regression to obtain the adjusted effect measures. Children with ASD were exposed to digital media at an earlier age and spent significantly more time with digital media and less time with their mothers, compared to typically developed children. Exposure to digital media before 21 mo was associated with risk of ASD and the risk increased when mothers spent less than 6.5h per day with the baby. Family history of epilepsy and developmental delay, maternal stress during the antenatal period, and absence of exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 mo were significantly more in children with ASD. There are significant differences in the early life social experience and digital-media exposure in children with ASD compared to typically developed counterparts. Given the reported rise in prevalence of ASD, these findings stress the need for further prospective studies to explore these potentially modifiable risk factors.

Do parents care about TV? how parent factors mediate US children’s media exposure and receptive vocabulary

ABSTRACTMedia exposure has the potential to impact young children’s language development, and both parents’ education level and parents’ attitudes about screen media has related to their preschool-aged children’s media exposure. The current study examined the extent to which 2- to 4-year-old children’s media exposure related to their receptive vocabulary, and whether parent education and attitudes about television as beneficial or harmful to learning, or having no impact, mediated relations between child media exposure and receptive vocabulary. Findings suggested that book reading positively and background television negatively relate to receptive vocabulary, whereas exposure to child-centric foreground television programming is unrelated. Parent attitudes significantly mediated positive relations between book reading and receptive vocabulary. In contrast, parent education significantly mediated negative relations between background television exposure and receptive vocabulary. The discussion situates the results in terms of the family system and the rapidly changing children’s media landscape.

Children and Terrorism and commentaries

Children and Terrorism and commentaries

Parent and Child Media Exposure, Preschooler Dietary Intake, and Preschooler Healthy-Meal Schemas in the Context of Food Insecurity

Media exposure is correlated with child obesity, yet the family behaviors underlying this link remain poorly understood. Using data from a sample of U.S. parents and their preschoolers, this study assessed parent and child exposure to 5 different media along with child dietary intake. Child healthy-meal schemas were measured with the Placemat Protocol, a novel play-based pretend meal assembly activity. Child and parent commercial TV viewing predicted greater obesogenic dietary intake for children in food-secure but not food-insecure households. Child commercial TV viewing also predicted a greater proportion of energy-dense to total foods in children's pretend healthy meals. Discussion focuses on food insecurity as a potential moderator of marketing effects and calls for continued research on child meal schema development.

The Effect of Primary Care Interventions on Children's Media Viewing Habits and Exposure to Violence

ObjectiveTo determine if brief primary care interventions can affect children's media viewing habits and exposure to violence. MethodsEnglish- and Spanish-speaking parents of 2- to 12-year-old children presenting to a pediatric primary care clinic participated in a randomized controlled trial. There were 2 intervention groups; one group viewed 5 minutes from the Play Nicely program and another received a handout, "Pulling the Plug on TV Violence." There were 2 control groups; the primary control group received standard primary care, and the alternative control group viewed a program about obesity prevention. The outcome measure was parental report of changes in media viewing habits and changes in exposure to violence. ResultsA total of 312 of 443 parents who were randomized completed a 2-week follow-up survey. Compared with the primary control group, parents in the video intervention group were more likely to report a change in their children's media viewing habits (odds ratio [OR] 3.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.66–6.51) and a change in their children's exposure to violence (OR 4.26; 95% CI 1.95–9.27). Compared with the primary control group, parents in the handout group were more likely to report a change in their children's media viewing habits (OR 4.35; 95% CI 2.20–8.60) and a change in their children's exposure to violence (OR 3.35; 95% CI 1.52–7.35). ConclusionsBrief primary care interventions can affect children's media viewing habits and children's exposure to violence. These results have implications for how to improve primary care services related to decreasing children's media exposure and violence prevention.

The influence of parental styles on children's consumption

PurposeThis study aims to examine parental styles based on levels of nurturing and authoritarianism to determine mothers' awareness of children's media exposure, likelihood of setting media and consumption limits and communications with children about commercial messages.Design/methodology/approachThe research design included a survey aimed at mothers of children ages four‐eight. The researchers collected demographic, behavioral and consumption information regarding the mother's youngest child.FindingsThe results suggest that nurturing mothers are more aware of advertising aimed at children and talk more to children regarding advertising and consumption than authoritarian mothers. Mothers who are nurturing and not authoritarian are more likely to yield to requests and favor more regulation than other parents.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is based on a convenience sample of mothers who were willing to provide confidential personal information about their children.Practical implicationsFrom a marketer's perspective, nurturing mothers represent a barrier to reaching children with persuasive messages. Such mothers not only limit access, but train children to be skeptical of advertising. Marketers who deal honestly with customers will be more successful in appealing to nurturing mothers and their market‐savvy children.Social implicationsFor public policy makers, distinctions in parental style can be useful in developing and promoting policy regulating food marketing practices. Nurturing mothers are more supportive of regulation than are authoritarian mothers, and efforts to promote such regulation should target nurturing mothers. The factors that influence mothers to intervene and limit children's media and consumption behavior also affect attitudes toward regulation of food‐related advertising.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to examine mothers' parental styles and attitudes toward regulation and tie together attitudes toward consumption and policy with the same sample.

US Preschoolers' Media Exposure and Dietary Habits: The primacy of television and the limits of parental mediation

A potential barrier to healthy eating in childhood is media marketing of obesogenic foods, yet little research has linked young children's media and dietary habits. This study reports data from 423 parents and 354 2- to 4-year-old children in the Midwestern United States, from the first wave of a 3-wave prospective panel study. Variables included family demographics, child media exposure, parent mediation of TV, child dietary habits, and child BMI. Controlling demographics and parent BMI, media exposure and parental mediation were unrelated to child BMI. However, TV viewing predicted increased intake of high-energy, low-nutrient (HELN) foods and decreased intake of fruits and vegetables. Restrictive parental mediation reduced some of these relationships, whereas coviewing and instructive mediation increased others. TV viewing continued to predict intake of some HELN foods for the 322 children whose parents limited their daily screen media exposure to 2 hours. Discussion focuses on future research directions and policy implications.

“Lazy kids watch TV”

Surprisingly little research has explored the association between children's perceptions of various media and patterns of children's media exposure (Abelman & Atkin, 2000; Beentjes, Koolstra, Marse...

Television and DVD/Video Viewing in Children Younger Than 2 Years

To determine the television-, DVD-, and video-viewing habits of children younger than 2 years. A telephone survey of 1009 parents of children aged 2 to 24 months. Parents in Minnesota and Washington state were surveyed. A random sample of parents of children born in the previous 2 years was drawn from birth certificate records. Households in which English was not spoken were excluded, as were children with major disabilities. The amount of regular television and DVD/video viewing by content, reasons for viewing, and frequency of parent-child coviewing. By 3 months of age, about 40% of children regularly watched television, DVDs, or videos. By 24 months, this proportion rose to 90%. The median age at which regular media exposure was introduced was 9 months. Among those who watched, the average viewing time per day rose from 1 hour per day for children younger than 12 months to more than 1.5 hours per day by 24 months. Parents watched with their children more than half of the time. Parents gave education, entertainment, and babysitting as major reasons for media exposure in their children younger than 2 years. Parents should be urged to make educated choices about their children's media exposure. Parental hopes for the educational potential of television can be supported by encouraging those parents who are already allowing screen time to watch with their children.

Media Exposure in Children One Hundred Miles from a Terrorist Bombing

Media Exposure in Children One Hundred Miles from a Terrorist Bombing

Media exposure in children one hundred miles from a terrorist bombing.

This study assessed indirect interpersonal exposure to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, broadcast and print media exposure in the aftermath of the explosion, emotional reactions to media coverage, and posttraumatic stress reactions in children distant from the explosion. A survey was administered to 88 sixth-grade students in the public middle school in a community 100 miles from Oklahoma City 2 years after the bombing. Many children reported indirect interpersonal exposure and most reported bomb-related media exposure. Print media exposure was more strongly associated with enduring posttraumatic stress than broadcast exposure. Indirect interpersonal exposure and the interaction of media exposure with emotional reaction to media coverage in the aftermath of the explosion each predicted ongoing posttraumatic stress. The results suggest that children may have lingering reactions to highly publicized terrorist incidents. Concern about the influence of television viewing has long been proclaimed. This study implicates print media exposure as well. Media exposure to terrorist incidents, therefore, should be monitored and those working with children should assess exposure and stress even in children not directly impacted.