Page No 112-119
Sandhya Shivakumar and Kanchana Mohannathan
Women’s Christian College, Chennai
Excessive screen time among children has become a pressing public concern. It can
have a negative impact on the child’s well-being. To study the screen time and its
usage among children in the age group of 4-10 years and the differences due to their
age and gender. In addition, the present study also examines the impact of screen
time on behavior problems (internalizing and externalizing behaviors) among them.
Mothers (n=416) of 4-10 years old children completed the personal data sheet and
Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (Goodman, 1997). Chi-square and Simple
linear regression were carried out using SPSS 28. 83.4 % viewed screen devices
“everyday” and 70% of the children had access to more than 3 devices at home. Only
27% of the children had screen time below 2 hours per day. Findings showed that the
child’s screen time significantly predicted internalizing behaviors. Child’s age was
strongly associated with screen time. High screen time of children contributes to
behavioral problems. Parental involvement in monitoring screen use must be an essential
part of psychosocial interventions in educational settings/clinical practice
.