Background: The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the home lives of many families in the US, especially those with young children. Understanding the relationship between child and parent screen time and family stressors exacerbated by the pandemic may help inform interventions that aim to support early child development.
Objective: To assess the changing relationship between family screen time and factors related to pandemic-induced remote work and childcare/school closures.
Methods: Design, Setting, and Participants: In spring of 2021 we administered a survey, similar to one administered in spring of 2019, to a national sample of parents of young children (aged 6 to 60 months). Using iterative sampling with propensity scores, we recruited participants whose sociodemographic characteristics matched the 2019 survey. Participants were >18 years of age, proficient in English or Spanish, and residing in the US. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were changes in child screen time (e.g., mobile phone, tablet, computer, television) and parenting technoference, defined as perceived screen-related interference with parent-child interactions. Additional survey items reported pandemic-related job loss, and changes to work hours, work location, caregiving responsibilities, daycare/school access, and family health and socioeconomic status.
Results: We enrolled 280 parents, from diverse backgrounds. Parents reported pandemic-related changes in child screen time (mean increase of 1.1 hour, SD 0.9), and greater parenting technoference (3.0 to 3.4 devices interfering per day; P=.01). Increased child screen time and parenting technoference were highest for parents experiencing job loss (mean change in child screen time 1.46 (SD 1.03); mean parenting technoference score 3.89 (SD 2.05)), second highest for working parents who did not lose their job (mean change in child screen time=1.02 (SD 0.83); mean parenting technoference score 3.37 (SD 1.94), and lowest for non-working parents (mean change in child screen time 0.68 (SD 0.66); mean parenting technoference score 2.66 (SD 1.70)), with differences significant at P<.01. School closure and job loss were most associated with increased child screen time during the pandemic after controlling for other stressors and sociodemographic characteristics (d=0.52, P<.001; d=0.31, P=.01). Increased child screen time and school closure were most associated with increased parenting technoference (d=0.78, P<.001; d=0.30, P=.01).
Conclusions: Work and school changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with increased technology interference in the lives of young children. This study adds to our understanding of the interaction between technology use in the home and social factors that are necessary to support early child health and development. It also supports possible enhanced recommendations for primary-care providers and child-care educators to guide parents in establishing home-based "screen time rules" not only for their children but also for themselves.