Parental Education for Limiting Screen Time in Children

Nowadays, infants and children are exposed to screen-based devices. Excessive screen exposure can contribute to gross and fine motor developmental delays and expressive language development impairment. 

The aim of an open-labeled, randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the influence of targeted parental education on restricting screen time in early childhood. This study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, including 120 healthy children aged 9-10 months, born at term gestation and appropriate for gestational age – attending the immunization clinic for measles-rubella vaccination.

Primary caregivers were randomly assigned to either the Educational group (n = 60), receiving 30 minutes of in-person active counseling with pre-designed content and a printed pamphlet to reduce screen time, or the Control group (n = 60), receiving routine in-person counseling on general health measures. Both groups of caregivers were followed up with monthly telephone reinforcement for 6 months. 

It was found that after 6 months, only 3% (2/60) of children in the Educational group had screen time exceeding 1 hour/day, in contrast to 53% (32/60) in the Control group (P < 0.001). The median (IQR) total screen duration in the Educational group was 35 (30, 49) minutes/day – significantly lower than the Control group's 75 (50, 90) minutes/day. Moreover, children in the Educational group exhibited significantly improved behavioral scores, fine motor skills, and adaptive skills compared to the Control group.

From the results, it was inferred that initiating parental education from infancy is a promising strategy for reducing screen exposure in children, with potentially positive effects on developmental and behavioral skills. Early intervention, beginning within the first year of life through parental education and anticipatory guidance, can effectively limit screen time in the initial two years. Pediatricians should incorporate screen time guidelines into routine well-baby visits, and primary caregivers can receive counseling at Anganwadi centers to reduce screen exposure and mitigate its adverse effects. Early educational interventions are essential to encourage age-appropriate activities, fostering holistic development in children.

Source: Poonia Y, Khalil S, Meena P, Shah D, Gupta P. Indian Pediatr. 2023;61:32-8.