Parents’ screen time, parental perception, technology-related parenting in relation to young children’s screen time: a cross-sectional study

TL;DR

This study explores how parents' screen time and parenting strategies relate to young children's screen time in India, finding limited influence from parental behavior but some impact from active parenting.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into technology-related parenting effects on children's screen time in the Indian context.

Findings

Parents' screen time had a weak and non-significant positive relationship with children's screen time.

Technology-related parenting showed a weak but significant negative correlation with children's screen time.

Parental perceptions of technology were not significantly associated with children's screen time.

Abstract

Excessive screen time in children has become an increasing concern as it leads to various developmental delays, including negative psychological outcomes and impaired cognitive and socio-emotional development. Existing literature suggests that parental behavior may influence children’s screen use, as young children often model parental habits. Given the rising prevalence of screen exposure in this age group, it is critical to investigate the factors contributing to increased screen time, particularly in the Indian context.

The current cross-sectional study was conducted on parents (16–40 years) and their young children (2–6 years) from Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bangalore. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling method. The Screen Time Questionnaire assessed demographic details and children’s screen time. Parents’ screen time was measured using the Instrument for the Assessment of Internet Use. The Technology-Related Parenting Scale evaluated parental behavioral strategies for managing child technology use, while the Parental Perceptions of Technology Scale measured negative attitudes and perceived parental efficacy. A Shapiro-Wilk test for normality was conducted, and subsequently, Spearman’s Rho correlation was used to understand the relationship between the screen time of parents and children.

The current study revealed that there is a weak and statistically non-significant positive relationship between the average screen time of the child and parents (ρ = 0.103, n = 123, p = .256), indicating a weak relation between them. Similarly, children’s screen time was not significantly associated with negative attitudes of parents (ρ = 0.039, n = 123, p = .671) and parental efficacy (ρ = -0.018, n = 123, p = .845). A weak but statistically significant negative correlation was observed between children’s screen time and technology-related parenting (ρ = -0.222, n = 123, p = .014), suggesting that the implementation of rules and monitoring screen time of children is associated with lower screen time among children.

The findings suggest that there is no significant association between children’s and their parents’ screen time or parental perceptions of technology. However, technology-related parenting demonstrates a weak but significant negative association with children’s screen time.

The study was registered in the clinical trial registry in India (CTRI). CTRI registration CTRI/2025/03/081956 http//ctri.nic.in/ [Registered on 08/03/2025].