| Abstrakt: |
Today's children grow up immersed in digital media. The experts' recommendations are: no screen time <18 months, for children 2-5 years limited to one hour/day, for children =6 years there should be limits on the time spent using media and the types of media. The authors aimed to evaluate how much screen time the children are exposed to during the day. We conducted a prospective study, February-May 2019 in the Pediatrics Department of "Grigore Alexandrescu" Hospital. Parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire containing screen time, type of screen, behavior related to screens. 200 patients were enrolled, mean age 8 years 9 months, sex ratio M/F=1.1/1, 82% from urban areas. Parents declared the children started using screens at an average age of 4 years 1 month (minimum 6 months). 3% were exposed to screens below the age of one. The devices used were: smartphone, TV, tablet, laptop, computer and gameboard in 81%, 59.5%, 42.5%, 36.5%, 22. % and 22.5% respectively. Children used screens alone on average 2.8 hours/day, 5.6 days/week and alongside their parents on average 2.2 hours/day, 4.5 days/week. Devices were used during meal time in 41%. 22% of parents used screen time as reward and 48% felt retrieving the device to be an effective punishment. 20% of children were falling asleep with the TV on. Conclusions: Screen time for children is progressively increasing as the age of exposure decreases. The most frequently used devices are smartphones, laptops. The screen related behavior is "educated" in the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
