Screen Time Among Under-Five Children in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

TL;DR

This study finds that under-five children in India spend over 2 hours daily on screens, exceeding recommended limits and potentially harming their development.

Contribution

The study provides the first pooled estimate of screen time among under-five children in India using a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Findings

The pooled daily screen time among under-five children in India is 2.22 hours.

High heterogeneity was observed across the studies, necessitating the use of a random-effects model.

Abstract

Digitalization, along with easy access and affordability to screen-based devices, has increased their use across all sectors of society. Due to the increased use of these devices among children, outdoor games have become less prevalent. The physical, mental, and social development of children may be adversely affected by excessive screen usage. The World Health Organization recommends limiting the screen time of under-five children.

The articles were searched for in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. The studies were screened and presented graphically using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart. Ten studies were used to determine the pooled screen time among under-five children in India. The study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with the registration ID CRD42023464810.

The pooled daily screen time among under-five children was 2.22 hours (95% CI: 1.80-2.63), with an I2 value of 100%. Due to the high heterogeneity, we employed a random-effects model to estimate the pooled screen time.

Under-five children in India are exposed to more screen time each day than is advised. The harmful consequences of too much screen time must be explained to parents.

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