Quality of interactive media use in early childhood and child development: a multicriteria analysis

Context of digital media use in early childhood: Factors associated with cognitive development up to 36 months of age

The influence of digital media on child cognitive development is a complex factor that goes beyond screen time. This study investigates the broader impact of digital media on child cognitive development, considering contextual variables such content type, parental mediation, and maternal mental health. Brazilian mothers (N = 212) of children 4-36 months old answered an online survey. Results showed that children's screen time increases with age. The model with unmediated use, non-educational content, and mother's screen time explains 28.7 % of children's screen time variance. Non-educational content and simultaneous screen media use explained 5.3 % of the variance in toddlers' cognitive development. Mothers with common mental disorders tended not to mediate their children's media use. We discuss the influence of caregivers' availability to mediate infants' and toddlers' digital media use and its impact on children's cognitive development. These findings underscore the necessity for educational and awareness campaigns aimed at fostering access to high-quality digital content for children during critical stages of development.

Novel rat model of gaming disorder: assessment of social reward and sex differences in behavior and c-Fos brain activity

RATIONALE

In 2018, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) classified Gaming Disorder (GD) as a mental disorder. GD mainly occurs among adolescents, who, after developing addiction, show psychopathological traits, such as social anxiety, depression, social isolation, and attention deficit. However, the different studies conducted in humans so far show several limitations, such as the lack of demographic heterogeneity and equal representation of age, differences in the type of game and in the follow-up period. Furthermore, at present, no animal models specific to GD are available.

OBJECTIVES

To address the lack of an experimental model for GD, in the present work, we proposed a new GD rat model to investigate some peculiar tracts of the disorder.

METHODS

Two-month-old Wistar Kyoto rats, both males and females, were subject to a five-week training with a new innovative touch-screen platform. After five weeks of training, rats were assessed for: (a) their attachment to the play under several conditions, (b) their hyperactivity during gaming, and (c) the maintenance of these conditions after a period of game pause and reward interruption. After sacrifice, using immunohistochemistry techniques, the immunoreactivity of c-Fos (a marker of neuronal activity) was analyzed to study different neural areas.

RESULTS

After the training, the rats subjected to GD protocol developed GD-related traits (e.g., hyperactivity, loss control), and the behavioral phenotype was maintained consistently over time. These aspects were completely absent in the control groups. Lastly, the analysis of c-Fos immunoreactivity in prelimbic cortex (PrL), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), nucleus Accumbens, amygdala and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) highlighted significant alterations in the GD groups compared to controls, suggesting modifications in neural activity related to the development of the GD phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposal of a new GD rat model could represent an innovative tool to investigate, in both sexes, the behavioral and neurobiological features of this disorder, the possible role of external factors in the predisposition and susceptibility and the development of new pharmacological therapies.

The Relationship between Language and Technology: How Screen Time Affects Language Development in Early Life-A Systematic Review

Screen time refers to the amount of time a child is exposed to a screen, that is, television, computer, smartphone, or any other digital medium. Prolonged screen time in the first years of life may affect a child's cognitive abilities, especially language acquisition. A systematic review was conducted, following the PRISMA-P guidelines, with the aim to explore the available literature relating to the impact of screen time on children's language development. This review identified 18 articles. The articles reviewed showed that prolonged screen time and exposure to screens in the first 2 years of life can negatively affect language development and communication skills, in terms of comprehension and vocabulary range. In addition, overexposure to screens in the early years can affect overall cognitive development, especially attention to environmental stimuli, social experiences, problem solving, and communication with others, e.g., the alternance of rhythms and roles in a conversation. In conclusion, our systematic review supports the idea that preschool screen time has negative effects on children's cognitive and language development. Television seems to be the medium most detrimental to children's skills, as it is used in a passive manner and is often characterised by language and content that do not suit the child's processing mode. Future studies should increasingly focus on the digital media that children possess at an early age, such as mobile phones and tablets, and on how children relate to the online world, such as social networks.

The Dark Side of Multimedia Devices: Negative Consequences for Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood

There is growing concern about the relationship between screen use by young children and negative effects on their development, as children with developmental and socioemotional impairments tend to have difficulties in their relationships and increased academic problems. The aim of our study was to analyse the relationship between the use of multimedia devices and paediatric symptoms in children below 5 years old. Data from 534 Portuguese parents of children aged from 18 to 57 months were collected via a self-report questionnaire. Children's daily exposure to multimedia devices was nearly 2 h per day. Paediatric symptoms were positively associated with watching television and screen time and negatively associated with parents' working hours. Touchscreen use was more frequent among girls and older children. Parents' working hours comprised the most significant predictor of paediatric symptoms. Our findings reinforce past findings on the adverse links between the use of multimedia devices and paediatric symptoms and also highlight the influence of other variables like the child's age and gender, as well as parental factors. The need to both create a more comprehensive framework regarding the long-term effects of multimedia device use and delineate effective strategies for prevention and intervention with parents and children is discussed.

Quality of life in the voice of children who depend on health technologies: Mixed methods study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the quality of life of children who depend on health technologies as expressed in their own words.

METHODS

A parallel and convergent mixed methods design was employed with 30 aged five to 12 year old children who depend on health technologies. Data collection was done through a characterization form, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 questionnaire with the total sample in quantitative phase; semi-structured interviews with a subset of nine participants in qualitative phase. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and deductive thematic content analyses, respectively.

RESULTS

Findings from PedsQL 4.0 showed that quality of life for children who depend on health technologies is average. However, data integration through mixed methods showed that this average goes beyond quantitative data through hearing the children's own voices. The results from data integration pointed out that children recognize their limitations and adapt to them; what most affects their quality of life is the emotional domain; children reported suffering prejudice due to their physical limitations; and that the school positively impacts their quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Data integration highlighted that children acknowledge their limitations and pain generated by these devices. Concerns about the future and the ability to do things that other children the same age can do was the most impactful aspect on their quality of life.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Nursing care plans should consider that what affects most children who depend on health technologies' quality of life is anxiety for the future of being incapacitated or dependent.

Environmental opportunities facilitating cognitive development in preschoolers: development of a multicriteria index

Access to environmental opportunities can favor children's learning and cognitive development. The objectives is to construct an index that synthesizes environmental learning opportunities for preschoolers considering the home environment and verify whether the index can predict preschoolers' cognitive development. A quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory study was conducted with 51 preschoolers using a multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT). The criteria used for drawing up the index were supported by the literature and subdivided in Group A "Resources from the house" extracted from HOME Inventory including: (1) to have three or more puzzles; (2) have at least ten children's books; (3) be encouraged to learn the alphabet; (4) take the family out at least every 2 weeks. Group B "Screens" (5) caution with using television; (6) total screen time in day/minutes. Group C "Parental Schooling" (7) maternal and paternal education. Pearson correlation analyses and univariate linear regression were performed to verify the relationship between the established index with cognitive test results. The index correlated with the total score of the mini-mental state exam (MMC) and verbal fluency test (VF) in the category of total word production and word production without errors. Multicriteria index explained 18% of the VF (total word production), 19% of the VF (total production of words without errors) and 17% of the MMC. The present multicriteria index has potential application as it synthesizes the preschooler's environmental learning opportunities and predicts domains of child cognitive development.

Factors Associated with the Suspected Delay in the Language Development of Early Childhood in Southern Thailand

Many children have a suspected delay in language development and need extensive support from parents and the health care team. This study aimed to investigate the suspected delay in language development and the factors associated with the suspected delay in language development among early childhood in Southern Thailand. Children aged 24 to 60 months were recruited as study samples using stratified random sampling conducted in 23 districts and simple random sampling in 7 sections (425 children). The research instruments comprised demographic data on the children and families, the preschool temperament questionnaire, and the Language Development Screening questionnaire using the Developmental Surveillance and Promotion Manual and data collected from July 2020 to January 2021. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The results showed that the suspected delay in development was 40.9 percent. Daily screen time exceeding 2 h per day (AOR = 17.30, 95% CI: 7.35–40.72), and regarding a child’s temperament, moderate-to-difficult temperament (AOR = 9.56, 95% CI: 5.12–17.85) was significantly associated with the suspected delay in language development. Genders, gestational age of early childhood, and the age of the caregivers were not associated with the suspected delay in language development. The study suggested that a decrease in daily screen time and appropriate responses will help develop language in children.

Physical environmental opportunities for active play and physical activity level in preschoolers: a multicriteria analysis

Background

Active play opportunities seems to influence the level of physical activity during childhood. However, a gap remains about which environmental opportunities including the daycare physical environment could have a positive impact on the level of physical activity in preschoolers.

Objectives

(1) To develop an index to measure the environmental opportunities of free active play for preschoolers of middle-income countries; (2) to check the relationship and contribution of the index to explain objectively the level of physical activity.

Methods

A quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory study with 51 preschool children. The established criteria for the index according to the literature were: (1) Outdoor time on typical days of the week. (2) Outdoor time on a typical weekend day. (3) The presence of internal space and external environment in the child’s home that allows playing. (4) Presence of patio with space for games at the school. (5) Presence of a playground with a toy at the school. We applied multi-attribute utility theory for the determination of the multicriteria index of physical environmental opportunities. Pearson’s correlation analysis and simple linear regression were used to verify the association between the index and the physical activity level.

Results

The index showed a positive correlation with the level of physical activity, e.g., the average time of MVPA (r = 0.408, p = 0.003). The univariate linear regression demonstrated that the quality of physical environmental opportunities for physical activity explained 20% of the preschooler’s classification as active and 16% of the time in moderate to vigorous physical activity (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Physical environmental opportunities for active play have a positive effect on physical activity in preschoolers and should be encouraged in different social segments.

Screen time and early childhood development in Ceará, Brazil: a population-based study

Background

Globally, children’s exposure to digital screens continues to increase and is associated with adverse effects on child health. We aimed to evaluate the association of screen exposure with child communication, gross-motor, fine-motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development scores.

Methods

We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study with cluster sampling among children 0–60 months of age living in the state of Ceará, Brazil. Child screen time was assessed by maternal report and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations were used to define excessive screen time exposure. Child development was assessed with the Brazilian Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Generalized linear regression was used to determine the association of screen exposure with developmental outcomes. We also examined the potential non-linear relationship of screen time with development scores using spline analyses.

Results

A total of 3155 children 0–60 months of age had screen time exposure evaluated and 69% percent were identified as exposed to excessive screen time. This percentage of excess screen time increased with child age from 41.7% for children 0–12 months to 85.2% for children 49–60 months. Each additional hour of screen time was associated with lower child communication (standardized mean difference (SMD): -0.03; 95% CI: − 0.04, − 0.02), problem solving (SMD: -0.03; 95% CI: − 0.05, − 0.02) and personal-social (SMD: -0.04; 95% CI: − 0.06, − 0.03) domain scores.

Conclusions

Excess screen time exposure was highly prevalent and independently associated with poorer development outcomes among children under 5 years of age in Ceará, Brazil.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-12136-2.

Manual Dexterity is not Related to Media Viewing but is Related to Perceptual Bias in School-Age Children

Although the media can have both negative and positive effects on children’s cognitive and motor functions, its influence on their perceptual bias and manual dexterity is unclear. Thus, we investigated the association between media viewing time, media preference level, perceptual bias, and manual dexterity in 100 school-aged children. Questionnaires completed by children and their parents were used to ascertain media viewing time and preference levels. Perceptual bias and manual dexterity were measured using the visual-tactile temporal order judgment task and Movement Assessment Battery for Children—2nd edition, respectively. There were significant positive correlations between age and media viewing time and between media viewing time and media preference level. There was also a significant negative correlation between visual bias and manual dexterity. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that increasing visual bias was a significant predictor of decreasing manual dexterity. Further, children with low manual dexterity showed significant visual bias compared to those with high manual dexterity, when matched for age and gender. The present results demonstrated that, in school-aged children, although viewing media was not associated with perceptual bias and manual dexterity, there was a significant association between perceptual bias and manual dexterity.