ArticleBMC pediatrics2022
An examination of bedtime media and excessive screen time by Canadian preschoolers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Impact of Modifiable Parenting Factors on the Screen Use of Children Five Years or Younger: A Systematic Review.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2025Pooled it
- Developmental Pathways Linking Maternal Depressive Symptoms with Parenting Quality and Preschool Children's Screen Time: The Role of Children's Behavioural Problems.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Prospective Association Between Parental Problematic Smartphone Use and Early Childhood Internalizing Symptoms.Child: care, health and development · 2026Article
- Prevalence, patterns and parental perceptions of excessive screen time among children aged 2-4 years: A cross-sectional study from a rural setting of Haryana, India.The Indian journal of medical research · 2026Article
- Prospective Associations Between Early Childhood Screen Time Trajectories During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity by Age 5.American journal of health promotion : AJHP · 2026Article
- Screen exposure and circadian disruption in paediatric epilepsy: risks and technology-based approaches - a literature review.Postepy psychiatrii neurologii · 2026Review
- A qualitative study examining household context and parental perspectives on preschoolers' digital media use guidelines.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Association Between Sleep Duration, Screen-Based Sedentary Time, and Weight Status Among Chinese Adolescents.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Associations Between Screen Time, Physical Activity, and Sleep Patterns in Children Aged 3-7 Years-A Multicentric Cohort Study in Urban Environment.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Problematic Digital Technology Use Measures in Children Aged 0 to 6 Years: Scoping Review.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
- Screen Time and Socioemotional and Behavioural Difficulties Among Indigenous Children in Canada: Temps d'écran et difficultés socio-émotionnelles et comportementales chez les enfants autochtones du Canada.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2024Article
- Reducing harm and promoting positive media use strategies: new perspectives in understanding the impact of preschooler media use on health and development.Psicologia, reflexao e critica : revista semestral do Departamento de Psicologia da UFRGS · 2023Review
- Predicting preschool children's digital play addiction tendency during Covid-19 pandemic: Regarding the mother-child relationship, and child- and family-related factors.Education and information technologies · 2023Article
- Screen exposure time of children under 6 years old: a French cross-sectional survey in general practices in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.BMC primary care · 2023Article
- Meeting preschool screen time recommendations: which parental strategies matter?Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Do parent media habits contribute to child global development?Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Information clarity about Covid-19 in Indonesia: does media exposure matter?BMC public health · 2022Article
- Is the Association Between Early Childhood Screen Media Use and Effortful Control Bidirectional? A Prospective Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRisky media use in terms of accumulating too much time in front of screens and usage before bedtime in early childhood is linked to developmental delays, reduced sleep quality, and unhealthy media use in later childhood and adulthood. For this reason, we examine patterns of media use in pre-school children and the extent to which child and family characteristics contribute to media use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsA cross-sectional study of digital media use by Canadian preschool-aged children (mean age = 3.45, N = 316) was conducted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic between April and August of 2020. Parents completed a questionnaire and 24-h recall diary in the context of an ongoing study of child digital media use. From these responses we estimated hours of average daily screen time, screen time in the past 24 h, average daily mobile device use, and media use before bedtime. Parents also answered questions about their child (i.e., age, sex, temperament), family characteristics (parental mediation style, parental screen time, education, income), and contextual features of the pandemic (ex., remote work, shared childcare). Daycare closures were directly assessed using a government website.
resultsOur results indicate that 64% of preschoolers used more than 2 h of digital media hours/day on average during the pandemic. A majority (56%) of children were also exposed to media within the hour before bedtime. Logistic and multinomial regressions revealed that child age and temperament, restrictive parental mediation, as well as parent digital media use, education, satisfaction with the division of childcare, remote work, and number of siblings and family income were all correlates of risky digital media use by preschoolers.
conclusionsOur results suggest widespread risky media use by preschoolers during the pandemic. Parenting practices that include using more restrictive mediation strategies may foster benefits in regulating young children's screen time.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.