Screen use and physical activity in children under 6 years old: what has changed after the COVID-19 pandemic?

Background: Since children are young, they have access to technology.Due to confinement in their homes, they have modified their daily habits, appropriating the Internet as their source of play, socialization, and learning.The objectives of this study are to compare screen use and physical activity habits in children under 6 years of age during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and explore the sociodemographic factors of caregivers and children associated with these habits.Methods: A cross-sectional study using an anonymous online survey of legal guardians and caregivers of children under 6 years of age in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, Argentina.The surveys were carried out in two periods: pandemic (social, preventive, and mandatory isolation, between the months of August and October 2020) and post-pandemic (during the months of August to October 2022).Results: 883 surveys were completed.After the pandemic, there was a significant decrease in the use of screens, less use for video calls with family and for school activities.Consequently, there was an increase in the hours of daily recreational activity.Screen use and physical activity habits are influenced by sociodemogra-phic characteristics of both caregivers (such as gender, place of residence, number of hours worked, and income) and children (age and access to screen devices).Conclusions: Favorable changes were observed after the COVID-19 pandemic in children under 6 years of age, with a reduction in screen time and an increase in time spent on physical activity.However, television and smartphones remained the most used devices.Screen time and physical activity habits are influenced by the sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers and children.