Parental Technoference as a Mediator of the Association Between Parental Screen Time and Preschool Social Competence

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

With the growing accessibility of electronics for young children, there has been increasing attention to how much screen time is appropriate for a given age and how screen time effects children’s development. However, estimates vary as to the exact amount of screen time in which children participate. In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a set of guidelines for parents of young children, recommending “a complete ban on screen use for children under 18 months (except for synchronous video conversations with others) and a limit of one hour per day for children between the ages of two and five years” of age (AAP, 2016, p. 2). It is noteworthy that although these guidelines are likely used by pediatricians to guide parents, there is little evidence that demonstrates the benefits or harm of these particular amounts of screen time (Lin, Cherng, Chen, Chen, & Yang, 2015). Children who spend extended time on electronics are at higher risk for negative outcomes including behavior problems, poorer language development, lower social competence, and disrupted sleep. Previous research has shown that parents influence their children’s screen time in several ways, including the extent to which they provide, or restrict children’s access to screens, and how much time the parent engages with their own devices. Although parents’ and children’s amounts of screen time are correlated, research has not examined whether parental screen time is associated with negative child outcomes.

Technoference is defined as everyday interruptions in interpersonal interactions or time spent together that occurs due to digital and mobile technology devices (McDaniel & Coyne, 2016). Prior research has linked technoference to disruptions in romantic relationships (Przybylski & Weinstein, 2013) as well as parent-child relationships (Radesky et al., 2016). The current study aims to expand the literature on technoference by examining the relationship between screen time, technoference in parent-child interaction, and preschool children’s social competence. The goal of this study is to examine associations among these variables among a community sample of 100 U. S. parents of children ages 3 to 5, and the children’s teachers or daycare providers. Data will be collected in Fall 2020 online using Qualtrics and will include measures of neighborhood safety, parental screen time, parent-reported self and child screen time, technoference in parent child relationships (TPCR; McDaniel & Radesky, 2018), distraction in social relationships (DISRUPT; McDaniel, 2016), and child social competence (SDQ; Goodman, 1997). We hypothesize that parental screen time will be positively correlated with their report of children’s screen time; parental technoference will be negatively associated with children's social competence; parents’ reports of their own and their child’s screen time will each be negatively associated with children’s social competence; and parent-reported technoference will account for a significant portion of the association between parental screen time and children’s social competences. These results will have implications to better help understand how parent screen time may be related to a child's social competency, and ultimately expand on the current literature to promote healthier behaviors and improved social-emotional health among preschool-aged children.

Authors

• Victoria Francesca Rizzuto, Loyola University, Maryland
  Presenting Author

• Mary Jo Coiro, Loyola University, Maryland
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rachel Grover, Loyola University Maryland
  Non-Presenting Author

• Beth Kotchick, Loyola University of Maryland
  Non-Presenting Author