Questionnaires used to explore the perspectives of parents and health professionals on young children's use of technology: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Technology is integrated into many children's daily lives, with parents' and health professionals' perspectives shaping children's technology use. Measuring and understanding these perspectives is essential for developing strategies for supporting adults in decision-making that help children thrive in a digital world. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of questionnaires used to assess parents' and health professionals' perspectives on young children's use of technology related to health, wellbeing, and development. The secondary aim was to synthesize findings on these perspectives. METHODS: Peer-reviewed articles published between January 2010 and September 2024 were identified through searches in seven electronic databases. Studies were included if they examined parental or healthcare professionals' perspectives on technology use among children aged birth-5 years. Two reviewers independently conducted the data extraction and study quality assessment. Reported psychometric properties of the questionnaires were synthesised. Deductive thematic analysis was utilised to explore the content focus of the questionnaire used in the included studies and synthesise the reported perspectives. RESULTS: Eighty-five studies were included, all involving parents. No study investigated health professionals' perspectives. The methodological quality of the studies was generally low with 62 studies scoring below the threshold for acceptable quality. Fifty-two studies reported psychometric properties of the questionnaires used of which only 15 studies reported more than one measure of validity or reliability. Seventy-five studies reported participants' perspectives on children's technology use. Findings revealed that parents generally supported the role of digital devices in enhancing learning but expressed concerns about potential negative impacts on children's physical health, emotions, and behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Parents' perspectives on children's technology use were frequently assessed through questionnaires, though the validity of these questionnaires was often poor, with limited psychometric testing. Parental perspectives were mixed with educational benefits being recognised, while countered with concerns about the impact on children's physical health and development. High-quality questionnaires are needed to generate stronger evidence informing strategies to support families in technology use decision-making with and for children.