JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Children’s and adolescents’ digital screen use has increased substantially in Bangladesh. There is growing concern about the adverse effects of excessive screen time on students’ physical, mental, behavioral, and academic well-being. Understanding stakeholders’ perceptions, challenges, and management strategies is essential for informing effective interventions and policies.

Objective:

This study explored the perceptions of students, parents, and teachers regarding excessive screen use and its impacts, identified the challenges faced in regulating children's screen time, and identified strategies for healthy screen habits among children.

Methods:

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted between January and April 2024 in six purposively selected Bangla- and English-medium schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Students aged 12–14 years enrolled in grades 6–10, their parents, and teachers were purposively recruited to capture diverse stakeholder perspectives. Data were collected through focus group discussions and separate in-depth interviews using semi-structured interview guides. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Emergent themes were subsequently organized and interpreted within the socioecological model to examine perceptions of excessive screen use, challenges in regulating screen time, and strategies for promoting healthier digital habits.

Results:

Three overarching themes emerged: stakeholders' perceptions of excessive screen use, challenges to effective screen-time management, and strategies for promoting healthier digital behaviors. Participants consistently perceived that the detrimental effects of excessive screen use outweighed its benefits. Excessive screen use was described as adversely affecting children's physical, behavioral, psychological, social, and academic well-being, contributing to sleep disturbances, sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy eating behaviors, aggression, impaired family communication, stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and reduced academic engagement and performance. Participants identified multiple barriers to effective screen-time regulation, including children's dependence on digital devices, peer influence, unrestricted internet access, technology-related educational demands, limited parental supervision, and the pervasive integration of digital media into everyday life. Suggested strategies for healthy screen habits emphasized a combination of behavioral and family-based approaches, including establishing consistent screen-time rules, monitoring online activities, restricting internet access, fostering children's self-regulation, encouraging outdoor and recreational activities, promoting educational digital content, and creating regular device-free family time.

Conclusions:

Stakeholders perceived excessive screen use as having widespread adverse effects on children's physical, behavioral, psychological, social, and academic well-being. Multi-level interventions involving families, schools, healthcare professionals, and policymakers are needed to promote healthy digital habits, strengthen screen-time management, and support children's mental health and overall development.