Screen Time and Behaviour in Preschool-Aged Children: Relationships With Caregiver Perceptions

Screen time has been implicated in young children’s behaviour, but less is known about the behaviours that predict screen time and caregivers’ views about children’s screen time. Caregivers of 3- to 5-year-old Australian children completed questionnaires on their child’s screen time, behavioural and social development, sleep-related behaviours, and their own perceptions about screen time. The lower children’s personal-social development the more caregivers disagreed about setting limits, which in turn was related to longer screen times. Children’s greater externalising behaviours were associated with caregivers’ belief that setting limits causes conflicts. Children’s greater difficulties with sleep were also associated with caregivers’ belief that limits cause conflicts, which was associated with greater screen time. Therefore, more challenging behaviours are linked with caregivers’ more permissive views of screen time and with difficulties setting limits. Strategies for managing behaviours and conflicts surrounding screen time could help in regulating children’s time spent on screens.