Page 116 - Petelin, Ana, et al. 2019. Eds. Zdravje otrok in mladostnikov / Health of Children and Adolescents. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 116
avje otrok in mladostnikov | health of children and adolescents 114 Although scientists have been trying to provide parents and educators with
safety guidelines for years, children are starting to use DM at a younger age
than ever before, with DM becoming more available and versatile. Therefore,
new research on the relationship between DM use and different socio-emo-
tional and health outcomes is required. Previous research relates DM use to
various health problems, e.g. obesity, ADHD, sleep disorders, psychological
distress, depression, etc. (Strasenburger, Jordan, & Donnerstein, 2010). How-
ever, different studies use different measures of screen time and do not always
fully address the purpose of use. Many studies involving young children fo-
cused on their experiences with DM in educational setting, with less research
examining the use of DM in a family setting. This trend has been changing
in the last decade (Marsh, 2004; Stephen, Stevenson, & Claire, 2013), but fur-
ther understanding is still much needed. In Croatia, majority of kindergartens
prohibit children from using any DM, limiting all their interactions with DM
to home environment, with parents as their first teachers on the matter. Pri-
or research shows that parents of children aged 3-4 have a tendency to under-
estimate their contribution to how their children learn to use DM (Plowman,
McPake, & Stephen, 2008). Research also highlights the importance of paren-
tal perception of DM in regard to children’s use of DM (McPake et al., 2005;
Plowman et al, 2005).
In this research, we report preliminary findings from a small scale survey
aiming to investigate the relationship between children’s use of DM in home
environment and certain socio-emotional, and health outcomes. Family so-
cio-economic status, as well as positive and negative parental perception of
children’s DM use are taken into consideration.
Methods
Participants and procedure
The study was conducted in three primary schools in Osijek, Croatia. It includ-
ed parents (83.5% were mothers) of 97 children (54 boys and 43 girls, mean age
6.5), who responded to the questionnaire designed for this study. The parents
were approached by a school psychologist during their children’s first enrol-
ment in primary school. All those who decided to participate signed a consent
form and completed the questionnaire. All the families had a fairly good so-
cio-economic status and good living conditions.
Measures
Parents gave estimates about the time their children spend using DM during a
typical working day or weekend (in hours), using a predefined list of activities
and devices: (a) using a computer; (b) playing games using a game console; (c)
using a tablet/smartphone to play games, browse the Internet, watch videos, vis-
it social networks, etc.; (d) watching TV or DVD. Additionally, the final measure
of children’s DM use was calculated as the sum of all the estimated amounts of
safety guidelines for years, children are starting to use DM at a younger age
than ever before, with DM becoming more available and versatile. Therefore,
new research on the relationship between DM use and different socio-emo-
tional and health outcomes is required. Previous research relates DM use to
various health problems, e.g. obesity, ADHD, sleep disorders, psychological
distress, depression, etc. (Strasenburger, Jordan, & Donnerstein, 2010). How-
ever, different studies use different measures of screen time and do not always
fully address the purpose of use. Many studies involving young children fo-
cused on their experiences with DM in educational setting, with less research
examining the use of DM in a family setting. This trend has been changing
in the last decade (Marsh, 2004; Stephen, Stevenson, & Claire, 2013), but fur-
ther understanding is still much needed. In Croatia, majority of kindergartens
prohibit children from using any DM, limiting all their interactions with DM
to home environment, with parents as their first teachers on the matter. Pri-
or research shows that parents of children aged 3-4 have a tendency to under-
estimate their contribution to how their children learn to use DM (Plowman,
McPake, & Stephen, 2008). Research also highlights the importance of paren-
tal perception of DM in regard to children’s use of DM (McPake et al., 2005;
Plowman et al, 2005).
In this research, we report preliminary findings from a small scale survey
aiming to investigate the relationship between children’s use of DM in home
environment and certain socio-emotional, and health outcomes. Family so-
cio-economic status, as well as positive and negative parental perception of
children’s DM use are taken into consideration.
Methods
Participants and procedure
The study was conducted in three primary schools in Osijek, Croatia. It includ-
ed parents (83.5% were mothers) of 97 children (54 boys and 43 girls, mean age
6.5), who responded to the questionnaire designed for this study. The parents
were approached by a school psychologist during their children’s first enrol-
ment in primary school. All those who decided to participate signed a consent
form and completed the questionnaire. All the families had a fairly good so-
cio-economic status and good living conditions.
Measures
Parents gave estimates about the time their children spend using DM during a
typical working day or weekend (in hours), using a predefined list of activities
and devices: (a) using a computer; (b) playing games using a game console; (c)
using a tablet/smartphone to play games, browse the Internet, watch videos, vis-
it social networks, etc.; (d) watching TV or DVD. Additionally, the final measure
of children’s DM use was calculated as the sum of all the estimated amounts of
