Screen time and the development of emotion understanding from age 4 to age 8: A community study
Keywords
Children
Screen Time
TV
Internet
Publication details
| Year: | 2019 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/bjdp.12283 |
| Issued: | 2019 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 37 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Start Page: | 427 |
| End Page: | 443 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Skalická V.; Wold Hygen B.; Stenseng F.; Kårstad S.; Wichstrøm L. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | British Journal of Developmental Psychology |
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| Topics: | Learning; Internet usage, practices and engagement; Wellbeing; Risks and harms; Online safety and policy regulation |
| Sample: | This longitudinal community study of 960 Norwegian 4-year- olds, followed up at ages 6 and 8, examined bidirectional relations between screen use and emotion understanding. |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation; Parenting guidance / support |
| Implications For Educators About: | Professional development |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | High-quality content online for children and young people; Creating a safe environment for children online |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Researchers; Industry; Healthcare |
Abstract
Recent increase in children’s screen activities has raised concerns that screen time may replace face-to-face interaction, and hence impair children’s development of emotion understanding. This longitudinal community study of 960 Norwegian 4-year- olds, followed up at ages 6 and 8, examined bidirectional relations between screen use and emotion understanding. Results revealed that more screen time at age 4 predicted lower levels of emotion understanding at age 6. In addition, television in children’s bedroom at age 6 forecasted lower levels of emotion understanding at age 8. The effect of TV watching on emotion understanding was gender moderated, with stronger effects of TV watching observed among girls, but no significant effects detected among boys. In contrast, gaming forecasted lower level of emotion understanding in boys, not girls. Results are discussed in the light of the importance of face-to-face interaction to preserve the development of social-emotional competence among young children.
Outcome
Results revealed that more screen time at age 4 predicted lower levels of emotion understanding at age 6. In addition, television in children’s bedroom at age 6 forecasted lower levels of emotion understanding at age 8. The effect of TV watching on emotion understanding was gender moderated, with stronger effects of TV watching observed among girls, but no significant effects detected among boys. In contrast, gaming forecasted lower level of emotion understanding in boys, not girls.