Screen Time and Social Development Through Play in Early Childhood: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Excessive screen time has become increasingly common among children worldwide. The current study investigated the relationship between adherence to recommended screen time guidelines and family and child characteristics and social development through play. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between the appropriate use of screen time and family and child characteristics and aspects of social development through play in children aged 0–3 years. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 278 mothers from all five Brazilian geographic regions who answered two self-administered online questionnaires assessing sociodemographic characteristics, family characteristics, child development, and screen use in children aged 0–3 years. Analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression to identify factors associated with adherence to recommended screen time guidelines. Results: Male sex (OR = 3.306, 95% CI: 1.759–6.213), family characteristics (living with both parents, OR = 4.102, 95% CI: 1.134–14.836) and aspects of social development (playing with another child (OR = 2.410, 95% CI: 1.024–5.650); body-based exploratory play (OR = 2.941, 95% CI: 1.225–7.042); and playing with homemade toys (OR = 1.931, 95% CI: 1.032–3.623)) were associated with adherence to recommended screen time guidelines. Conclusions: Appropriate screen time use was associated with male sex, living with both parents, playing with peers, engaging in body-based exploratory play, and using homemade toys. Routine child health consultations must explore family characteristics and evaluate aspects of children’s social development to identify healthy screen use behaviors.