Orig. title: Mala djeca pred malim ekranima: Hrvatska u odnosu na Europu i svijet
Engl. transl.: Small children in front of screens: Croatia in relation to Europe and the world
Keywords
Education
Preschoolers
Parents
Screen time
Publication details
| Year: | 2020 |
| Issued: | 2020 |
| Language: | Croatian |
| Volume: | 161 |
| Issue: | 1-2 |
| Start Page: | 45 |
| End Page: | 61 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Roje Đapić M.; Buljan Flander G.; Selak Bagarić E. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Napredak : Časopis za interdisciplinarna istraživanja u odgoju i obrazovanju |
| Topics: | Wellbeing; Other |
| Sample: | "The study included a sample of 655 children aged 18 months up to 7 years (M = 5; SD = 1,2) who attend kindergarten in various rural and urban environments in the Republic of Croatia, approximately equal to boys (53%) and girls (47%). Questionnaires were completed by their caregivers - 80% of respondents were mothers, 19% fathers, and 1% of another person close to the child (grandmother, foster parent). Average age of caregiver the child was 36.6 years (SD = 5.3; min = 22; max = 59). " Roje Đapić et al, 2020, 49 (translated by the coder) |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parenting guidance / support |
Abstract
Screen time refers to the time children spend using screens altogether. According to experts’ recommendations, children under the age of two should not use screens at all, and up until their school age, the screen time should not excede one hour, with parents actively involved. The aim of this study was to explore the pre-schoolers’ screen time habits in Croatia and comparatively analyse it with available data from other countries. The sample consists of 653 children attending preschool institutions in Croatia and the data are gathered from their guardians. The results show that all the children use screens starting before the age of two, with the screen time for more than two hours daily. In deciding to give them screens, parents are driven by a wish to entertain their children, teach them something, distract them, and help them fit into peer groups. The most challenging screen time topics for parents are to establish rules and parental supervision, and to assess the usefulness and harmfulness of screens for children. It can be concluded that the Croatian pre-schoolers’ screen time exceeds experts’ recommendations and puts children at risk. The results also imply the necessity of education, prevention and early childhood intervention.
Outcome
"The results indicate a significant saturation of screens in households where preschool children grow up. Every child in this study is growing up in a household in which electronic devices are present and used in the family; the average number of electronic devices in a single household is 6.35 electronic devices (SD = 2.27; min = 2; max = 17), and 80% of preschool children live in a household with five or more screens", M. Roje Đapić et al, 2020, 50
Children on average come to contact with screens as early as the second year of life Based on parent reporting on age
when their children started spending time with screens, it is discovered that screens are used by 58.4% of one-year-olds, 87.6% of two-year-olds, and already at the age of three they are used by almost all children (95%). Roje Đapić et al, 2020, 52 (translated by the coder)