Children age group 6 - 12 years screen time survey

Survey

1. A cross sectional study of screen time among children aged 6-12 years at a tertiary medical college and hospital

2. Presented by Students of Group A Roll no:1-50 Batch: 2023-2024. NILRATAN SIRCAR MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL, KOLKATA

3. INTRODUCTION In today’s digital age, screens have become an integral part of daily life, especially for children and young people (CYP), who are often referred to as ‘digital natives.’ As screens—from computers, tablets, and smartphones to televisions—play a central role in entertainment, education, and communication, concerns have arisen about the impact of screen exposure on children’s health and development. Among the areas most affected by screen time are sleep patterns and academic performance. Excessive screen use has been linked to sleep disturbances, contributing to problems such as delayed bedtimes, shortened sleep duration, and reduced sleep quality. Research suggests that screen time, especially before bed, can interfere with the natural sleep-wake cycle, leading to disruptions in children's sleep routines. Furthermore, screen time has been associated with cognitive, emotional, and socio-emotional effects that influence children’s academic outcomes. Excessive use of digital media may impact cognitive function, leading to difficulties with attention, irritability, and poor academic performance.

4. India has gone through a drastic technological advancement in the last decade. The use of internet has grown rapidly and along with it the devices for accessing internet has also grown from desktops and laptops to smartphones. Being, the 2nd largest market of smartphones, its pricing and features had made it attractive to a large section of the Indian society. There have been many positives of smartphone such as instant messaging, live chats, reminder, make notes, play games, mobile banking.The prevalence of problematic mobile phone use was found to be 6.3% in the overall population (6.1% among boys and 6.5% among girls), whereas another study found 16% among the adolescents. The review finds that excessive or overuse of mobile phone was associated with feeling insecurity; staying up late at night; impaired parent–child relationship; impaired school relationships; psychological problems such as behavioral addiction like compulsive buying and pathological gambling, low mood, tension and anxiety, leisure boredom, and behavioral problems, among which most pronounced association was observed for hyperactivity followed by conduct problems and emotional symptoms.

5. Excessive screen time, especially near bedtime, has been linked to reduced sleep quality in children and young people. Studies suggest that screen exposure disrupts sleep patterns due to the suppression of melatonin production, increasing sleep onset latency and reducing sleep duration. Children using screens for over 2 hours daily tend to experience more sleep disturbances, behavioral issues, and delays in motor and language development. Guidelines recommend limiting screen time, particularly one hour before sleep, to support healthier sleep habits and overall well-being. Excessive screen time, particularly before bedtime, has been shown to negatively affect sleep by disrupting circadian rhythms and delaying melatonin production. This leads to increased sleep onset latency (time taken to fall asleep), reduced total sleep duration, and poorer sleep quality. For example, children who spend more than 2 hours daily on screens are more likely to experience sleep disturbances. Additionally, screen time before bed stimulates the brain, making it harder for children to unwind, which can exacerbate issues like irritability and behavioral problems. Studies also indicate a correlation between screen time and daytime sleepiness, particularly in adolescents, which may impact cognitive functions like attention and learning. Guidelines from pediatric organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, suggest avoiding screens at least an hour before sleep and limiting total daily screen time to promote healthier sleep patterns.

6. The relationship between screen time and sleep has been widely studied, and excessive screen exposure, especially before bed, is linked to several sleep disturbances. Blue light from screens can suppress melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep regulation, delaying sleep onset and reducing sleep quality. Studies show that children using screens for over 2 hours a day are more likely to experience poor sleep, which can lead to daytime fatigue, irritability, and decreased cognitive function. Recommendations suggest avoiding screens at least one hour before sleep to mitigate these effects. Key studies and recommendations include: Melatonin Suppression: Screen time, especially in the evening, disrupts the natural production of melatonin, delaying the body's internal clock and making it harder to fall asleep. Reduced Sleep Duration: Children exposed to screens for over 2 hours a day show reduced sleep duration, which can lead to cognitive and behavioral issues. Young children (under 5 years) exposed to more than 2 hours of screen time tend to experience developmental delays, including motor skill impairment and language development issues. A study from Japan found that 21%-29.4% of children aged 18 to 30 months watch TV for more than 4 hours a day, potentially worsening sleep patterns and developmental outcomes .

7. OBJECTIVES To study the socio-demographic profile of the study population To find out the duration and pattern of screentime for the last 7 days of the study population To study the relationship between screentime and socio-demographic profile of the study population To study the relationship between screentime and academic performance of the study population To study the relationship between screentime and sleep duration of the study population

8. METHODOLOGY • Study Type :- Observational, hospital based descriptive study • Study Design :- Cross Sectional • Study Setting :- Paediatrics OPD and Routine Immunization Clinic, Nilratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital (NRSMCH), Kolkata • Study Period :- 23 rd September,2024 to 2nd November, 2024. • Study Duration :- 21 days.

9. METHODOLOGY • Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria : Inclusion Criteria : i) Children aged between 6 to 12 years attending paediatric OPD or RI clinic ii) Those who have acce ss to TV and/o r smart phone Exclusion Criteria : i) Parents who did not give conse nt to participate in study ii) Those who had no TV or smartphone or any other screen devices iii) Any severe illness • Study Population :- The participant of the study were children aged between 6 to 12 years from paediatric ward, nd immunisation clinic of Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College, Kolkata

10. METHODOLOGY • Sampling size : No sampling was done. During data collection period, all children aged between 6 to 12 years whose parents were willing to participate and not belonging to exclusion criteria group were eligible to do this study. Total 150 participants were interviewed. • Study Technique :- Each student was asked to collect data from 5 to 10 parents; time taken for each schedule was 7 to 10 minutes. Informed verbal consent of parents were taken before filling the schedule. Anonymity was maintained throughout the study.

11. METHODOLOGY • Study tools : ● Pre-designed, pre tested ,structured questionnaire . A preformed questionnaire was used to collect data from study population.The questionaire included :- Socio-demographic profile of the study population. The duration/pattern of sleep cycle of study population . Duration of screen time. Academic performance. Hours of outdoor activities .

12. METHODOLOGY • Study variables : i) Independent variables : •Socio demographic variables- age of children, education status of parents, occupation of parents, residence, number of family members, monthly income •Screen time related questions- screentime of child, most comm only app used in smartphone ,sharing of screentime with parents,effort to limit screentime

13. METHODOLOGY ii) Dependent variables : Screentime - less than 3 hours and more than 3 hours

14. RESULTS

15. Table No. : Distribution of study participants according to age (n= ) Age(years) Frequency %age 6 to 8 15 34.09 9 to 10 19 43.18 11 to 12 10 22.73 Comment:

16. Figure No:

17. GENDER OF CHILD FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE% MALE FEMALE TABLE NO : DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY POPULATION ACCORDING TO GENDER OF CHILD(n= ) COMMENT :

18. Table no : Distribution of study population according to religion of child Comment: Religion of the child Frequency Percentage Hindu Muslim

19. Table No. : Distribution of study population according to type of residency Type of Residency Frequency Percentage Urban Rural Comment:

20. Table no. :Distribution of study population’s fathers according to their education(N= ) FATHER’S EDUCATION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Illiterate Upto class 5th Class 6-10th Class 11th and above TOTAL Comment : Most of the father's educational status belongs to

21. TABLE-7 : DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY POPULATION ACCORDING TO THE OCCUPATION OF FATHER ( n= ) COMMENT : MOST OF THE STUDY POPULATION SHOWS THAT OCCUPATION OF FATHER FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE SERVICE BUSINESS LABOUR SELF-EMPLOYED UNEMPLOYED

22. Table on mother 's education.

23. Table : Distribution of mothers according to occupation (N=) Occupation of mother Frequency(n=) Percentage Homemaker Working Comment:-

24. Type of family Frequency Percentage Nuclear Joint 3 Generation Table no. : Distribution of study population according to type of family (n= ) Comment:

25. TABLE NO :DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY POPULATION ACCORDING TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC CLASS (n= ) SOCIO ECONOMIC CLASS FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE % CLASS I CLASS II CLASS III CLASS IV CLASS V COMMENT :

26. Table11:Distribution of study participants according to number of siblings(n= ) Number of siblings Frequency Percentage 0-3 4-6 7-10 >10 COMMENT : MOST OF THE STUDY POPULATION HAVE

27. Table: Distribution of Study Population According to Average Screen Time Duration in Last 7 Days (n=) DURATION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE <1hour 1-3 hour 3-6 hour >6 hour comment:

28. Figure no: Distribution of Study Population According to

29. Table no. :Distribution of study population according to most used applications(N= ) Apps/social media Frequency Percentage You tube Any Social media(example:Facebook,Instagram,WhatsApp etc) Games Others Comment:

30. Figure No.:

31. Type of screen time table

32. Table No: Distribution of the study population according to their academic performance. (N=) Academic performance Frequency Percentage Good Average Poor Comment:

33. Pie chart: Distribution of the study population according to their academic performance. (N=)

34. Table No. : Distribution of study population according to their sleep duration(N= ) Sleep Duration Frequency Percentage <9 hours 9-12 hours >12 hours Comment:

35. Table No. : Distribution of study population according to whether the child takes an afternoon nap(N= ) Afternoon Nap Number of people Percentage Yes No Comment:

36. TABLE NO :DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY POPULATION ACCORDING TO DAILY OUTDOOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ( n= ) DAILY OUTDOOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE % YES NO COMMENT :

37. Table no. : Relationship between screen time and age of child (N = ) Age of Child Total Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 6-8 9-10 11-12 Screen time (< 3 hrs) Screen time (>3 hrs) Comment :

38. Table no. : Relationship between screen time and gender of child (N = ) Comment: Gender of child Screentime (<3 hours) Screentime(>3 hours) Total Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Male Female

39. Table no – Relationship between screen time and residency (N=_) Residency Screentime < 3 hrs Screentime > 3 hrs Total No. ( N ) Frequency (n) Percentage (%) Frequency (n) Percentage (%) Rural Urban Comment:- In Rural area greater percentage of test sample has screentime more than 3 hrs and in Urban area greater percentage of test sample has screentime less than 3 hrs.

40. Table no. : Relationship between screen time and type of f amily (N= ) Type of family Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Nuclear Joint 3 Generation Screen time (< 3 hours) Screen time(>3 hours) Total Comment:

41. Education of Mother Screen Time(<3 hrs) Screen Time(>3 hrs) Total Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Illiterate Upto class 5 Class 6-10 Class 11 and above Table No. : Relationship between Education of Mother and screen time of children Comment :

42. Table no. : Relationship between screen time and occupation of mother Occupation of mother Screentime (<3 hours) Screentime(>3 hours) Number Percentage Number Percentage Homemaker Working Comment:

43. Table :- Distribution of study population according to level of education of mother (n =) Literacy Freque ncy (n= Percentage(%) Illiterate Upto class 5 Class 6 to 10 Class 11 &above Comment – Majority of the study population is _______.

44. Annexure 1. Age of child: 1) 6-8 yrs 2) 8-10 yrs 3) 10-12 yrs 2. Gender of child: 1) Male 2) Female 3. Religion: 1) Hindu 2) Muslim 3) Others 4. Residency: 1) Urban 2) Rural 5. Education of Father: 1) Illiterate 2) Upto class 5 3) Class 6-10 4) Class 11 and above 6. Occupation of Father: 1) Service 2) Business 3) Labour 4) Self-employed 5) Unemployed

45. 7. Education of Mother: 1) Illiterate 2) Upto class 5 3) Class 6-10 4) Class 11 and above 8. Occupation of Mother: 1) Homemaker 2) Working 9. Type of Family: 1) Nuclear 2) Joint 3) 3 generation 10. No. of Siblings/Cousins in joint family: 11. Average screen time duration of last 7 days: 1) <1 hr 2) 1-3 hrs 3) 3-6 hrs 4) >6 hrs 12. Most commonly used app: 1) YouTube 2) Social media 3) Game 4) Others 13. Type of Screen: 1) TV 2) Mobile/Smart device 3) Both

46. 14. Academic performance: 1) Good 2) Average 3) Poor 15. Grade/Percentage obtained: 16. Sleep duration: Sleep time at night - Wakeup time 17. Afternoon nap: 1) Yes 2) No If yes, Duration 18. Outdoor physical activity - time: 19. Total monthly family income in Rs: 20. Total number of family members :