Background <p>The first two years of life are critical for a child’s development, requiring optimal parental interaction and care, while limiting screen exposure is essential to prevent potential cognitive and socio-emotional delays.</p> Aims <p>This study examined maternal use of digital devices during early childhood care and explored factors associated with children’s screen exposure.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted between February 1 and June 1, 2023, in three family health centers in Gaziantep. Face-to-face surveys were administered to 256 mothers with children aged 4 to 24&#xa0;months.</p> Results <p>A total of 60.5% of children were exposed to television daily (44.1% &lt; 1&#xa0;h, 16.4% ≥ 1&#xa0;h), followed by 53.1% to smartphones (41.4% &lt; 1&#xa0;h, 11.7% ≥ 1&#xa0;h) and 21.9% to computers/tablets (17.6% &lt; 1&#xa0;h, 4.3% ≥ 1&#xa0;h). Mothers most frequently used smartphones to facilitate childcare. Screen exposure during feeding was reported in 40.7% for television (34.4% rarely/sometimes, 6.3% most of the time/always), 21.9% for computers/tablets (17.2% rarely/sometimes, 4.7% most of the time/always), and 46.1% for smartphones (37.1% rarely/sometimes, 9.0% most of the time/always. Children whose fathers demonstrated high paternal involvement in childcare exhibited significantly lower rates of television, smartphone, and computer/tablet use.</p> Conclusions <p>The findings revealed that a significant proportion of mothers used digital technological devices during childcare, and that higher paternal involvement in childcare may have a potential mitigating effect on early screen exposure in children.</p>

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Screen exposure in early childhood and maternal behaviors: a cross-sectional study from Turkey

  • Zekiye Temizkan,
  • Hatice Tuba Akbayram

摘要

Background

The first two years of life are critical for a child’s development, requiring optimal parental interaction and care, while limiting screen exposure is essential to prevent potential cognitive and socio-emotional delays.

Aims

This study examined maternal use of digital devices during early childhood care and explored factors associated with children’s screen exposure.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted between February 1 and June 1, 2023, in three family health centers in Gaziantep. Face-to-face surveys were administered to 256 mothers with children aged 4 to 24 months.

Results

A total of 60.5% of children were exposed to television daily (44.1% < 1 h, 16.4% ≥ 1 h), followed by 53.1% to smartphones (41.4% < 1 h, 11.7% ≥ 1 h) and 21.9% to computers/tablets (17.6% < 1 h, 4.3% ≥ 1 h). Mothers most frequently used smartphones to facilitate childcare. Screen exposure during feeding was reported in 40.7% for television (34.4% rarely/sometimes, 6.3% most of the time/always), 21.9% for computers/tablets (17.2% rarely/sometimes, 4.7% most of the time/always), and 46.1% for smartphones (37.1% rarely/sometimes, 9.0% most of the time/always. Children whose fathers demonstrated high paternal involvement in childcare exhibited significantly lower rates of television, smartphone, and computer/tablet use.

Conclusions

The findings revealed that a significant proportion of mothers used digital technological devices during childcare, and that higher paternal involvement in childcare may have a potential mitigating effect on early screen exposure in children.