The Effect of Mothers’ Inappropriate Smart Device Usage Habits on Preschoolers’ Cognitive Ability: Sequential Mediating Effect of Preschoolers’ Smart Device Immersion Tendency and Self-regulation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the pathways between mothers’ inappropriate smart device usage habits, preschoolers’ immersion tendency and self-regulation, and children’s cognitive ability. The subjects of the study were 308 preschoolers aged 4 and 5 years and their mothers in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Incheon, Gangwon-do, Daejeon, Busan, and Mokpo. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation using the SPSS 25 program. A sequential mediation model was analyzed using the AMOS 22 program. Mothers’ inappropriate smart device usage habits were found to have a negative effect on the preschoolers’ self-regulation, and this association was mediated by the preschoolers’ smart device immersion tendency. These findings show the mechanisms through which mothers’ inappropriate smart device usage habits negatively affect preschoolers’ smart device immersion and self-regulation which, in turn, has a negative impact on cognitive ability