THURSDAY, Aug. 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) — When making recommendations for young children, the contexts of screen use should also be considered beyond screen time limits, according to a study published online Aug. 5. JAMA Pediatrics.

Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, Ph.D., from the School of Education at the University of Wollongong in Australia, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies that examined associations between a contextual factor of screen use in children ages 0 to 5.99 years and cognitive or psychosocial development.

Based on 100 included studies (176,742 participants), researchers found that watching programs and watching TV in the background were negatively associated with cognitive outcomes. Watching programs, inappropriate age content, and caregiver screen use during routine were negatively associated with psychosocial outcomes. However, shared use with caregivers was positively associated with cognitive outcomes.

“The results show small to medium effect sizes, highlighting the need to consider the context of screen use when providing recommendations to families, clinicians, and educators that go beyond screen time limits. This includes encouraging intentional and productive screen use, age-appropriate content, and sharing with caregivers,” the authors write.

Summary/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.