Digital screen time and its effect on preschoolers’ behavior in China: results from a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background The aims of the study were to determine the effects of electronic exposure on behaviors of preschoolers, which could provide scientific grounds to the control of digital screen time and usage of electronics. Methods Children of 3–6 years of age (n = 1897) and their families were included in this study. The daily screen time were recorded for seven days. Children were grouped based on daily screen time of < 60 min or > 60 min. Socio-demographic characteristics of the children were acquired by parental questionnaires. Analyses were made based on the CBCL/1.5–5 results. Chi-square test, t-test and Nonparametric correlation analyses were used to determine the correlation between strength, direction and significance of the relations between the variables. Rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) of children in two groups were compared using χ2 test. Results Our results indicate that screen time is closely correlated with gender of children, household location, maternal education. We observed that preschoolers with screen time of > 60 min tend to have more behavioral problems than those with screen time of < 60 min (total problem: 35.84 vs. 32.76, p = 0.024; externalizing: 11.54 vs. 9.08, p = 0.016). Conclusion Our study suggests that excessive screen time may be a detrimental factor in the development of preschoolers. Caution should be taken in shortening the screen time of preschoolers.