Changes in Families’ Leisure, Educational/Work and Social Screen Time Behaviours before and during COVID-19 in Australia: Findings from the Our Life at Home Study

Abstract

This study aimed to understand differences in leisure, educational/work and social screen time behaviours experienced by parents and children due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, which may inform behaviour change strategies and policy in the transition to a COVID-normal life. Participants in the “Our Life at Home” study (n = 218 parents from Australia, 43.4 ± 6.8 years, 88% female) completed a cross-sectional online survey in April/May 2020. Parents recalled their own and their child (8.7 ± 2.0 years, 42% female) or adolescents (15.0 ± 1.5 years, 50% female) participation in nine screen time behaviours in the past month (during lockdown) and retrospectively for February 2020 (pre-lockdown), providing data on 436 individuals. Screen time behaviours included leisure (computer/laptop and tablet/smartphone for leisure, TV/videos/DVDs and game consoles); education/work (computer/laptop and tablet/smartphone for work/education); and social screen time (computer/tablet/smartphone for social communication with friends, family and work (parents only)). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and effect sizes (r) compared the time spent in each behaviour pre-lockdown and during lockdown. Large differences were observed in social (parents: r = 0.41–0.57; children: r = 0.55–0.65; adolescents: r = 0.28–0.43) and education (children: r = 0.50–0.65 and adolescents: r = 0.25–0.37) behaviours. There were small or no differences in leisure time screen use. COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have impacted parent’s and children’s screen time, and future research and policy should consider strategies to support families to manage screen time.

“Everything kind of revolves around technology”: a qualitative exploration of families’ screen use experiences, and intervention suggestions

“…The findings highlight the numerous and varied challenges that families experience when trying to manage screen time, particularly under COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Quantitative data has shown that children’s and parents’ screen use increased during lockdown in Australia [ 9 ] and globally [ 10 ]. The current findings provide insights into the current screen time context within homes and suggestions for development of a program to help families manage screen time.…”

“…The COVID-19 lockdown restrictions implemented in Australia and many countries worldwide saw the closure of schools, recreation and sporting facilities and the implementation of social distancing rules and restrictions. Consequently, schooling and social interactions moved online which led to increased time spent on screens for various reasons [ 9 , 10 ]. Emerging evidence shows that elevated screen time during the COVID pandemic was associated with poorer levels of physical activity and sleep [ 11 ] and poorer mental health and greater perceived stress [ 12 ] amongst youth.…”

“…Both mothers and pre-adolescents noted frustration around screen time rules but from different perspectives; mothers’ were frustrated when the child did not follow the rules, whereas the pre-adolescents were frustrated when their mother did not follow the rules [ 14 ]. Conflict around screen time management has been prevalent prior to COVID-19 lockdowns [ 6 ], but the dependence on screens for schooling, work, social interactions and leisure time [ 9 ] may have added another layer of complexity. Further it may have exacerbated the existing challenges with screen time management, the way in which families interact and communicate with one another and has the potential to raise new challenges and benefits.…”

Understanding Australian adolescent girls’ use of digital technologies for healthy lifestyle purposes: a mixed-methods study

“…This may explain the high use of social media (Instagram, Facebook and TikTok) and the low uptake of apps for physical activity among survey participants, as apps remove key social and interactive aspects that girls value [ 28 ]. Use of social media for social connections is also unsurprising as this study was conducted when parts of Australia were coming out of lockdown restrictions due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and social communications frequently occurred via digital technologies [ 40 ]. However, our findings add new insights to understanding the digital engagements that that shape girls’ preferences.…”

Books Versus Screens: A Study of Australian Children’s Media Use During the COVID Pandemic

“…They also missed team sport, school trips and visits to the local pool, cinema and library. This resulted in more time in front of screens – an observation many parents made anecdotally, evidenced in news stories [ 2 ] and media surveys around the world [ 3 , 4 ]. At the same time, tracking by Nielsen Bookscan provided intriguing signals that patterns of Australian reading were changing during the pandemic.…”