Infants’ and toddlers’ digital media use and mothers’ mental health: A comparative study before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

This study compared children's and mothers’ digital media use and mothers’ mental health in two samples: one accessed before (Group 1; N = 257; M = 33.18 years; SD = 4.79) and the other accessed during (Group 2; N = 256; M = 33.51 years; SD = 4.96) the COVID‐19 pandemic in Brazil. Mothers of children up to 3 years old (Group 1: M = 17.95 months, SD = 9.85; Group 2: M = 16.48 months, SD = 10.15) answered an online survey. Bivariate analysis, factorial ANOVA tests, and multiple linear regression were performed. Results suggest that mothers’ and children's media use duration was higher during the pandemic only among children over 12 months. Mothers’ media use duration (β = .18) and mothers’ intention to offer media (β = .23) contributed to the explanation of children's media use duration (F(4, 474) = 16.81; p < .001; R2 = .12; R2 adjusted = .117). Higher mothers’ common mental disorders symptoms were also positively correlated to mothers’ intention to offer media to children both before and during the pandemic. Results suggest that interventions focusing on infants and toddlers screen time reduction should target maternal aspects such as mental health, maternal screen time, and intention to offer media, taking into account the mothers’ needs when planning these actions.

Screen media exposure and behavioral adjustment in early childhood during and after COVID-19 home lockdown periods

“…First, we found that child screen time significantly changed between the pre-lockdown period, the three lockdowns and the post-lockdown period. Replicating findings from recent studies ( Bergmann et al, 2022 ; Carroll et al, 2020 ; Eales et al, 2021 ; Pedrotti et al, 2022 ; Ribner et al, 2021 ), screen time increased and remained stable during lockdowns compared with the pre-lockdown period. Unexpectedly, screen time further increased in the post-lockdown period, suggesting that the disruption caused by lockdown routines may have changed habitual child viewing habits.…”

“…Research on adult samples shows that between 49 and 70% of adults reported spending more time using screens during this period ( Górnicka et al, 2020 ; Pišot et al, 2020 ). An emerging body of literature suggests a similar increase among young children ( Bergmann et al, 2022 ; Carroll et al, 2020 ; Eales et al, 2021 ; Pedrotti et al, 2022 ; Ribner et al, 2021 ). For example, in a study focused on children under the age of 6 years living in Canada, parents reported that since the COVID-19 outbreak 87% of children increased recreational screen use ( Carroll et al, 2020 ).…”

“…For example, in a study focused on children under the age of 6 years living in Canada, parents reported that since the COVID-19 outbreak 87% of children increased recreational screen use ( Carroll et al, 2020 ). Researchers in Brazil compared digital media use in a sample of children under 3 years measured before with a sample measured during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that media use duration was higher during the pandemic, but only among children over 12 months of age ( Pedrotti et al, 2022 ). Finally, a study that examined young children's (8-to-36-month-olds) screen time in a large cohort sampled from 12 countries during the first COVID-19 lockdown reported an increase in children's screen time during lockdown relative to the period before lockdown ( Bergmann et al, 2022 ).…”

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's mental health: A systematic review

“…Parents are encouraged to create and maintain healthy structured routines including sleep schedules and family media plans that foster the healthy use of recreational mobile devices (e.g., limits on duration). However, interventions focusing on reducing infants' and toddlers' screen time should be more targeted to parents, particularly parental mental health, screen time, intention to offer mobile devices to children and the needs of using mobile devices ( 92 ). Furthermore, since physical activity is associated with psychological health, promoting physical activities that can be performed in a limited space at home should be highly recommended to better support the psychological health of children.…”

COVID-19 Restrictions Resulted in Both Positive and Negative Effects on Digital Media Use, Mental Health, and Lifestyle Habits

“…One of the most reported consequences of the COVID-19 restrictions has been increased screen time among adults [ 5 , 6 ], children and adolescents [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], and even toddlers [ 7 , 13 ]. Systematic reviews have also concluded that mental health problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, and stress) increased among adolescents during the pandemic [ 3 , 14 ].…”