Poster #116 - Screen-Time and Social-Emotional Development in Early Childhood : A Longitudinal Perspective

• In Event: 2-002 - Special Poster Session 05 with Continental Breakfast Reception
  In Poster Session: PS 05 - Interdisciplinary Section

Integrative Statement

Screen-based media (e.g., computers, television) is a common feature of modern childhood and is often regarded as being harmful to child development (Houghton et al., 2015). Unfortunately, current understanding on screen-based media and developmental outcomes is based primarily on studies involving older children and adolescents (Ferguson, 2017), with fewer involving children younger than 5 years (Przybylski & Weinstein, 2017). Furthermore, the recommended screen-time exposure stipulated by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for young children (< 1 hour/ day) has been critiqued as empirically unsound and challenged by previous studies (Przybylski & Weinstein, 2017). In light of these limitations, an examination on the association between screen-time and early development would be useful in informing policies. This study thus aimed to examine screen-time and among children younger than 5 years from a longitudinal perspective. Specifically, given that social-emotional functioning is crucial to various aspects of development (e.g., academic achievement; Taylor, Oberle, Durlak, & Weissberg, 2017), this study focused on social-emotional development, as operationalized by outcomes including physical aggression, hyperactivity, anxiety, and indirect aggression. To better ascertain these associations, several contextual variables that have been identified as correlates of child outcomes were also considered, including family income, parental education, family functioning, parent-child interaction, and parenting style (Eriksen, Hvidtfeldt, & Lilleør, 2017; Grusec, 2002). Based on the scant literature involving young children (e.g., Ramen et al., 2017), screen-time was hypothesized to have negative relations with social-emotional development.

Participants included 1,853 three-to-five years old children (N = 969 boys) who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth in 2006-2008. At Time 1, one parent (N = 1853, 71 father) reported on the number of hours children spent on television and computer per day. The parent also responded to a series of questionnaires that measured family dysfunction, positive parent-child interactions, and consistent parenting style. Two years later (Time 2), the same parent reported on the child’s physical aggression, hyperactivity, anxiety, and indirect aggression. Each association was assessed with hierarchical multiple regressions; main results are presented in Tables 1 and 2. Results indicated that hours spent per day watching TV was significantly related to physical aggression (β = .062, p = .010) and hyperactivity (β = .060, p = .012) after controlling for computer use and other covariates. However, neither hours spent per day on computer nor watching TV predicted anxiety (respectively β = .041, p = .091 and β = .023, p = .342) and indirect aggression (respectively β = .021, p = .384 and β = -.021 , p = .388).

Findings suggest that hours spent on computer have no longitudinal associations with child outcomes. In contrast, longer TV viewing might predict greater levels of physical aggression and hyperactivity longitudinally. Taken together, findings offer partial support to the notion that screen time, particularly TV, could have negative implications on child outcomes. Further research is needed to evaluate the association between different types of screen-based media and child outcomes.

Authors

• Tracy Wong, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Xiaoxue Kong, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chloé St Onge-Shank, McGill University
  Presenting Author

• Chiaki Konishi, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author