Unveiling Screen Time Habits: A Study on Digital Behavior of Young Children in India

Background: Excessive screen time is associated with a negative impact on the growth and development of young children. We aimed to assess parent-reported multimedia usage among children in Northern India and to study the factors associated with excessive screen time in young children. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study conducted from mid-2020 to early 2021 in the Northern part of India among healthy children with normal neurodevelopment aged 6 months to 5 years. A total of 256 children were included from the pediatric outpatient department of a government tertiary care hospital, and their parents were interviewed using a structured, predesigned questionnaire. Results: The average reported screen time was 70 minutes per day, which exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Sixty-one percent of children had their first screen exposure before 2 years of age. Multiple linear regression analysis found a positive association between screen time and age ( P = .00; r = 0.38), between mother’s screen time and child’s screen time ( P = .04; r = 0.22), and between parental attitude toward multimedia usage time with children of indifferent parents having higher screen time ( P = .006; r = 0.17). Conclusions: The study draws attention to screen time and the factors affecting it among young children in Northern India. Targeted interventions to increase media literacy among parents and emphasize more active lifestyles in young children are required to further decrease screen time.