Background: The modernization of technology today has raised concerns among parents and health professionals about its probable impact on children's sleep, vision, behavior, and school performance.
Aim: This study explores the effects of digital screen use on children's health and behavior, focusing on screen time duration, parental screen use, device types, and supervision. It examines key risk factors and correlations.
Methods: A descriptive study design was used to explore the impacts of digital screen usage on children's health and behavior. Parents of 580 children aged 1-12 years from Duhok City, Iraq, were included. The data were collected through online questionnaires to parents addressing demographic data, screen time, and physical and behavioral issues. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0 (2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) was used to analyze the variables, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: A total of 580 children were involved in this study. The majority (41.6%) were aged 1-3 years, with 59.7% were male. The phone was the most commonly used (39.0%) device and 38.8% of children owned a digital device; 59.5% of parents reported moderate control over screen time, and most of them (46.4%) had secondary or institute education. Post-device use, 51% of parents reported no change in cognition, but 27.6% reported worse cognition and 41.2% noted increased nervousness. Approximately 45.9% of parents supervised screen time. Supervision did not appear to significantly influence sleep disturbances as compared to unsupervised (39.1% vs.33.1%, p=0.135). However, eye problems showed a significant correlation (66.9% vs. 76.4%, p=0.009). Younger parents (25-35 years) were more likely to monitor screen time (58.6%) compared to older parents (>36 years, 23.3%). Regression analysis confirms parents' own screen time notably predicted children's screen time (B=0.155, p<0.001). These findings highlight the importance of parental behavior in influencing children's screen habits and health outcomes.
Conclusion: This study reveals the significant impact of parental screen time on children's digital habits and health outcomes. The findings suggest that children with supervised screen time have fewer sleep and eye problems. Younger parents are more likely to control their children's screen time, highlighting the role of parental involvement. The results highlight the need for evidence-based guidelines and increased awareness to manage screen time effectively, promoting healthier growth in children.
