Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting
Date Submitted: Apr 6, 2021
Date Accepted: May 2, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Jun 3, 2021
“It's Been Negative for us Just all the Way Across the Board”: Focus Group Study Exploring Parent Perceptions of Child Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic
ABSTRACT
Background:
Child screen time (ST) usage has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as many schools closed and began offering classes virtually. Many parents also found themselves working from home, juggling jobs while assisting their children’s learning. How families are navigating this new ST landscape has not been previously studied.
Objective:
The objective of the present study is to describe families’ experience of screen time use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
Parents participated in 1 of 14 virtual focus groups. Reflexive thematic analysis, using an inductive approach, was used to analyze the transcripts.
Results:
A total of 48 parents (predominantly Hispanic and SES diverse) participated in the focus groups. Six themes and one subtheme emerged: 1) Total screen time has increased; 2) Children are too attached to screens; 3) Parents and children have limited options; 4) Screen time restrictions (Subtheme: Children react badly when screen time is restricted); 5) Parents perceive advantages and disadvantages to screen time but parents perceive screen time as being mostly negative; 6) Parents are concerned children are not getting enough exercise.
Conclusions:
This study provides a glimpse into how family life has shifted around screen time usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents expressed concerns about the total time of screen time, the addictive nature of it, and the lack of physical activity. It is important that future research examine the long-term effects of heavy ST use, and preemptively introduce ways to redirect children’s habits around ST as the country attempts to establish a new normal. Clinical Trial: N/A
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