Is screen time family time? Media in the family system during COVID19

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Young children are immersed in a digital environment in which opportunities for play, learning, relationship-building, and communication are often mediated by a screen (Common Sense Media, 2017). Pediatricians and researchers have developed resources on limiting usage and selecting high-quality media (AAP, 2016; Barr, 2019; Hirsh-Pasek, Zosh et al, 2015), but there has been less attention to how and why media use supports or hinders family well-being. This symposium consists of three papers highlighting the role of media in the family system during COVID-19. Paper 1 reports a latent profile analysis of USA parents’ instrumental use of media use during the pandemic, and demonstrates that parental burnout is linked to media use to occupy children and regulate emotions. Paper 2 reports mixed methods to understand how and why parents of young children used one particular medium -- video chat -- during the lockdowns in Australia, identifying both barriers and benefits. Paper 3 reports that video chat supports families in creating mutually-supportive child-grandparent connections in the U.S. during COVID-19. The discussant will lead a rich conversation about the holistic role of digital media – during and after the era of COVID-19. Consistent with SRCD’s strategic goal #2 to “communicate, exchange, and translate”, the discussion will focus on “connecting scientific discoveries with applications.” Collectively, these papers suggest that families with young children need more nuanced, evidence-based recommendations about using digital media in developmentally appropriate ways that benefit the entire family system – for children, parents, and grandparents.

Sub Unit

• Technology, Media & Child Development

Chair

• Lauren J. Myers, Lafayette College

Discussant

• Jennifer M. Zosh, Penn State University, Brandywine

Individual Presentations

• Family Media Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patterns and Associations with Parenting Stressors - Presenting Author: Christina N Kim, NYU Grossman school of medicine; Non-Presenting Author: Margaret L. Kerr, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Non-Presenting Author: Kristin Litzelman, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Non-Presenting Author: Janean E Dilworth-Bart, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Non-Presenting Author: Heather Kirkorian, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Understanding the experience of video calls in supporting social connection and communication in early childhood - Presenting Author: Christa Lam-Cassettari, Western Sydney University; Non-Presenting Author: Paola Escudero, Western Sydney University; Non-Presenting Author: Virginia Schmied, Western Sydney University

• Zoom-ing Through Development: Using Video Chat to Support Family Connections During COVID-19 - Presenting Author: Elisabeth McClure, LEGO Foundation; Non-Presenting Author: Olivia Blanchfield, Georgetown University; Non-Presenting Author: Lauren J. Myers, Lafayette College; Non-Presenting Author: Ellen Roche, Georgetown University; Non-Presenting Author: Gabrielle A. Strouse, University of South Dakota; Non-Presenting Author: Zachary Stuckelman, Vanderbilt University; Non-Presenting Author: Georgene L Troseth, Vanderbilt University; Non-Presenting Author: Jennifer M. Zosh, Penn State University, Brandywine; Non-Presenting Author: Subul Malik, Georgetown University; Non-Presenting Author: Rachel F Barr, Georgetown University