How has the pandemic affected screen time in children from low-income households ?

What is it about?

Many schools and childcare centers were shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to help stop the spread of the disease. This has resulted in parents and caregivers taking on a larger childcare burden. At the same time, media use increased in children. The authors of this study researched how many hours a day kindergarteners from low-income households spent in front of screens. They also examined the different types of media that the children were using. They found that the children had nearly seven hours of screen time per day. They also saw that children spent more time on media on weekdays than the weekends. This increased screen time was used for positive reasons like education and to keep in touch with friends. But it was also used for negative reasons. This included keeping children busy while their caregivers worked.

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Photo by zhenzhong liu on Unsplash

Photo by zhenzhong liu on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Caregivers from low-income families may not have flexible jobs. They also may not have access to resources to help them supplement screen time with other activities. This study shows that children are spending almost half of their waking day using screens during the pandemic. The findings of this study are both bad and good. Increased screen time is linked to negative health and cognitive outcomes. But at the same time, schools are closed. Screens give caregivers a way to supplement their children's education and social life. It is important to understand how this screen time is being used. This will help us understand how children are affected by pandemic lockdowns. KEY TAKEAWAY: Understanding media use can help us plan better programs for children during pandemic lockdowns. It will also help us plan better childcare programs for stressed caregivers from low-income families.