ERIC Number: EJ1406031
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: EISSN-1556-6935
Does Screen Media Hurt Young Children's Social Development? Longitudinal Associations between Parental Engagement, Children's Screen Time, and Their Social Competence
Shaocong Ma; Jingchen Li; Eva E. Chen
Early Education and Development, v35 n1 p10-25 2024
Despite the wide usage of screen media among young children, less is known about the relationships between children's screen time and their social competence development as impacted by family-related factors. Here, we investigated parents' engagement, children's screen time, and their social competence among Taiwanese Chinese children's families at three time points as the children aged (Time 1: N = 2,037, including 991 girls, M = 3.00 years; Time 2: N = 1,785, including 868 girls, M = 4.00 years; Time 3: N = 1,749, including 842 girls, M = 5.01 years). "Research Findings": From ages 3 to 5 years, parental engagement positively predicted children's social competence, whereas children's screen time negatively predicted their social competence. Examination of the mechanism underlying these longitudinal relationships suggested that when parents engaged less frequently in interacting with children, their children tended to spend more time on screen media, and then developed a lower level of social competence during the early years. "Practice or Policy": Our findings indicate that young children's time spent on screen media should be monitored and restricted. Instead of keeping children occupied with screen media, parents and educators should engage more actively in interacting with children to promote their social competence.
Descriptors: Young Children, Foreign Countries, Social Development, Mass Media Use, Television Viewing, Video Games, Computer Games, Computer Use, Handheld Devices, Recreational Activities, Parent Participation, Interpersonal Competence, Predictor Variables, Parent Child Relationship
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Taiwan; China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A