Increased usage of total screen time during Covid-19 pandemic has affected children in multiple ways. Decreased awareness in parents leads to inadvertent exposure to increased screen time in children. The impact of Covid-19 on screen time and physical activity in children is being presented in this study. This community based, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on school going children of more than two years of age using structured web based questionnaire. Statistical test such as descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results. Out of 998 subjects enrolled, 90% of children attended online classes using a smartphone. Around 40% children had an extra screen time of more than 30 min. 53% parents had never heard of any screen time guideline. Children who were being taken care of by grandparents had significantly less screen time as compared to those being looked after by parents(p=.001). About half of parents noticed decrease in physical activity and increase in weight of their children. Total duration of outdoor activity was < 1 hour in > 60 % children. Change in bowel habits was significantly associated with screen time of > 2 hours in the > 5 years age group. There was significant association of parents working from home with a screen time of >2 hours in children >5 years age group (p=0.004). While it is important to adopt critical measures to halt the spread of COVID-19, close collaboration between parents, schools, and ministries is necessary to assess and mitigate its long-term collateral impact.
Keywords: Online Classes, Screen Time, Physical Activity
Full HTML:
REFERENCES
Przybylski AK, Weinstein N. Digital Screen Time Limits and Young Children’s Psychological Well-Being: Evidence From a Population-Based Study. Child Dev 2019;90(1):e56–65.
Zimmerman FJ, Christakis DA, Meltzoff AN. Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years. J Pediatr 2007;151(4):364–8.
Hancox RJ, Milne BJ, Poulton R. Association between child and adolescent television viewing and adult health: a longitudinal birth cohort study. Lancet 2004 ;364(9430):257–62.
Chonchaiya W, Pruksananonda C. Television viewing associates with delayed language development. Acta Paediatr 2008;97(7):977–82.
Duch H, Fisher EM, Ensari I, Font M, Harrington A, Taromino C, et al. Association of screen time use and language development in Hispanic toddlers: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2013;52(9):857–65.
Paavonen EJ, Pennonen M, Roine M, Valkonen S, Lahikainen AR. TV exposure associated with sleep disturbances in 5- to 6-year-old children. J Sleep Res 2006;15(2):154–61.
Christakis DA, Ramirez JSB, Ferguson SM, Ravinder S, Ramirez J-M. How early media exposure may affect cognitive function: A review of results from observations in humans and experiments in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018 ;115(40):9851–8.
Zimmerman FJ, Christakis DA. Children’s television viewing and cognitive outcomes: a longitudinal analysis of national data. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005;159(7):619–25.
Tremblay MS, LeBlanc AG, Kho ME, Saunders TJ, Larouche R, Colley RC, et al. Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2011 21;8:98.
Carson V, Hunter S, Kuzik N, Gray CE, Poitras VJ, Chaput J-P, et al. Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth: an update. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2016;41(6 Suppl 3):S240-265.
American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Communications and Media. Media and young minds. Pediatrics. 2016;138(5):e20162591..
Reid Chassiakos YL, Radesky J, Christakis D, Moreno MA, Cross C. Children and Adolescents and Digital Media. Pediatrics 2016 ;138(5);e1-18.
Gortmaker SL, Must A, Sobol AM, Peterson K, Colditz GA, Dietz WH. Television viewing as a cause of increasing obesity among children in the United States, 1986-1990. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1996;150(4):356–62.
Bruni O, Sette S, Fontanesi L, Baiocco R, Laghi F, Baumgartner E. Technology Use and Sleep Quality in Preadolescence and Adolescence. J Clin Sleep Med 2015;11(12):1433–41.
Levenson JC, Shensa A, Sidani JE, Colditz JB, Primack BA. The association between social media use and sleep disturbance among young adults. Prev Med 2016;85:36–41.
Howie EK, Joosten J, Harris CJ, Straker LM. Associations between meeting sleep, physical activity or screen time behaviour guidelines and academic performance in Australian school children. BMC Public Health 2020 17;20(1):520.
Tremblay MS, Carson V, Chaput J-P, Connor Gorber S, Dinh T, Duggan M, et al. Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2016;41(6 Suppl 3):S311-27.
Council on Communications and Media. Media use in school-aged children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2016;138(5):e20162592.
Ghate S, Parekh BJ, Thapar RK, Nadkarni PR, Sen S, Bansal U, et al. Indian Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines on School Reopening, Remote Learning and Curriculum in and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. Indian Pediatr 2020;57(12):1153–65.
Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, Borodulin K, Buman MP, Cardon G, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med 2020;54(24):1451–62.
World Health Organization(WHO)[homepage on internet] Mental health and substance use.2020.[cited 2021 Mar 1]. Available from: http://www.emro.who.int/mnh/news/considerations-for-young-people-on-excessive-screen-use-during-covid19.html
John, J.J., Joseph, R., David, A. et al. Association of screen time with parent-reported cognitive delay in preschool children of Kerala, India. BMC Pediatr21, 73 (2021)
Domoff SE, Borgen AL, Foley RP, Maffett A. Excessive use of mobile devices and children's physical health. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies 2019;1(2):169-75.
Jago R, Stamatakis E, Gama A, Carvalhal IM, Nogueira H, Rosado V, Padez C. Parent and child screen-viewing time and home media environment. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Aug;43(2):150-8.
Schoeppe, S., Rebar, A.L., Short, C.E. et al. How is adults’ screen time behaviour influencing their views on screen time restrictions for children? A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health16, 201 (2016).
Aguilar-Farias N, Toledo-Vargas M, Miranda-Marquez S, Cortinez-O’Ryan A, Cristi-Montero C, Rodriguez-Rodriguez F, et al. Sociodemographic Predictors of Changes in Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep among Toddlers and Preschoolers in Chile during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;18(1).
Schmidt SCE, Anedda B, Burchartz A, Eichsteller A, Kolb S, Nigg C, Niessner C, Oriwol D, Worth A, Woll A. Physical activity and screen time of children and adolescents before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in Germany: a natural experiment. Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 11;10(1):21780.
Ozturk Eyimaya A, Yalçin Irmak A. Relationship Between Parenting Practices and Children’s Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey. J Pediatr Nurs 2021;56:24–9.
Rafique N, Al-Asoom LI, Alsunni AA, Saudagar FN, Almulhim L, Alkaltham G. Effects of Mobile Use on Subjective Sleep Quality. Nat Sci Sleep. 2020 Jun 23;12:357-64
Gibas-Dorna M, Pi?tek J. Functional constipation in children - evaluation and management. Prz Gastroenterol. 2014;9(4):194-9.
Shirley SA, Kumar SS. Awareness and attitude among parents of primary school students towards screen time in children. Int J Contemp Pediatr 2020;7:107-11.
Reid Chassiakos YL, Radesky J, Christakis D, Moreno MA, Cross C; COUNCIL ON COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA. Children and Adolescents and Digital Media. Pediatrics. 2016 Nov;138(5):e20162593.
Kaur N, Gupta M, Malhi P, Grover S. Screen Time in Under-five Children. Indian Pediatr. 2019 Sep 15;56(9):773-88.
Robinson TN, Chen HL, Killen JD. Television and music video exposure and risk of adolescent alcohol use. Pediatric 1998;102(5):E54
