Bi-directional Associations Between Screen Use and Reading in Preschool Children

• In Event: The Newest Trick in the Book: Current Directions in Research on Literacy and Media/Technology

Abstract

Background
With the increased use and accessibility of media devices (Rideout, 2017) screen use is becoming a consistent part of children’s day-to-day life. According to the displacement hypothesis (Christakis, 2009) when children are watching screens they are less likely to spend time practicing skills important for learning and development (Madigan, Browne, Racine, Mori, & Tough, 2019). As such, screen use may be influencing the home learning environment, specifically engagement in offline enrichment activities such as reading print books. While it is possible that screen use interrupts enriching offline activities such as print book reading (Christakis, 2009; Radesky, Schumacher, & Zuckerman, 2015) it is also possible that early reading activities may offset later screen use. However, to examine this untested hypothesis, longitudinal data with repeated measurement are needed to examine directional associations between screen use and reading. The aim of the current study was to explicitly test what comes first, higher screen use or lower reading activities? The bi-directional longitudinal associations were examined using a random-intercepts, cross-lagged panel model (Hamaker, Kuiper, & Grasman, 2015), considered to be the most robust method for addressing directionality in observational studies.

Methods
The sample includes 2440 families from a large urban centre in Western Canada. A detailed description of the study sample can be found in Table 1. When children were 24, 36, and 60 months of age mothers reported on the range of time their child spent (1) using electronic devices (i.e., watching television programs; movies, videos, or stories on a VCR or DVD player; using a computer, gaming system, or other screen-based device) and (2) in reading activities based on a developmentally tailored reading question at each time point. Covariates included child sex, household income, childcare status (daycare versus homecare), maternal education and maternal screen use.

Results
The model was a good fit to the observed data based on fit indices (see Figure 1). After accounting for temporal stability, results suggest that higher screen use at 24 months is related to lower reading activities at 36 months (β= −0.08; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.02), in turn, lower reading activities at 36 months is associated with greater screen use at 60 months (β= −0.11; 95%CI, -0.19 to -0.02). The obverse associations were not observed.

Discussion
Findings highlight a reciprocal process between screen use and reading that unfolds over time, where screen use negatively influences reading activities and then lowered reading activities lead to greater screen use. Consistent with the displacement hypothesis (Christakis, 2009) this study provides support for the notion that screen use may be interfering with reading activities. An important limitation of the current study is that the method of measurement used for screen use and reading was based on “duration” of use and did not capture the content or context of use. Findings from this study support the need for practitioners, childcare professionals, and educators to encourage families to engage in healthy use of screen devices, and to encourage “device-free” time to establish early reading habits.

Authors

• Brae Anne McArthur, University of Calgary (U of C)
  Presenting Author

• Rachel Eirich, University of Calgary (U of C)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dillon Browne, University of Waterloo
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sheila McDonald, Alberta Children’s Hospital Institute
  Non-Presenting Author

• Suzanne Tough, University of Calgary (U of C)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary (U of C)
  Non-Presenting Author