An examination of bedtime media and excessive screen time by Canadian preschoolers during the COVID-19 pandemic

• DOI: 10.1186/s12887-022-03280-8
• Publication Date: 2022-04-18T08:02:41Z
• Authors: C. Fitzpatrick; M. L Almeida; E. Harvey; G. Garon-Carrier; F. Berrigan; M Asbridge
• Keywords: Screen Time; Bedtime; Pandemic

Risky media use in terms of accumulating too much time front screens and usage before bedtime early childhood is linked to developmental delays, reduced sleep quality, unhealthy later adulthood. For this reason, we examine patterns pre-school children the extent which child family characteristics contribute during COVID-19 pandemic.A cross-sectional study digital by Canadian preschool-aged (mean age = 3.45, N 316) was conducted at start pandemic between April August 2020. Parents completed a questionnaire 24-h recall diary context an ongoing use. From these responses estimated hours average daily screen time, past 24 h, mobile device use, bedtime. also answered questions about their (i.e., age, sex, temperament), (parental mediation style, parental education, income), contextual features (ex., remote work, shared childcare). Daycare closures were directly assessed using government website.Our results indicate that 64% preschoolers used more than 2 h hours/day on pandemic. A majority (56%) exposed within hour Logistic multinomial regressions revealed temperament, restrictive mediation, as well parent satisfaction with division childcare, number siblings income all correlates risky preschoolers.Our suggest widespread Parenting practices include strategies may foster benefits regulating young children's time.