Seyuba Esanju (Zambia)
Volkova Olesya (Russia)
Sections:
Digital Hygiene and Prevention of Digital Addiction;
Creating an Inclusive Digital Environment;
Creating Children's Digital Content: Modern Approaches and Technologies;
Abstract
Digital media has become an integral part of childhood in the 21st century. This has been brought about by globalization and the vast technological advancement. The COVID 19 pandemic also made screen time for children and parents ok as countries went in lockdown with schools and work paces closed. According to Hartshorne et al., (2021), the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by increases in family screen media use. This study examines digital habits of Zambian children aged 5-10 through a survey of 151 parents in Lusaka. This study examined associations between screen time and social-emotional outcomes in Zambian children aged 5-10 years and evaluated the protective role of family screen rules. Data collected included daily screen time, screen purposes, family rules,communication with peers, social play patterns, and reactions to adult instructions.
The data revealed that average weekday screen time of 2.17 hours outside school, with 54% children use more than 2-3 hours of screentime a day. Higher screen exposure correlated with reduced social-emotional skills, weaker social play, and poorer adult instruction responses, particularly for entertainment content. Findings underscore the need for clear family screen rules and culturally adapted limits (<2 hours recreational daily) to protect social-emotional development.
Keywords
Presentation
Video
