Children’s screen time soared during lockdown

Screen time behaviour among Australian families changed dramatically during last year’s COVID-19 lockdown with children spending almost 27 more hours each week on their screens, according to a new study.

In research that tracked screen time behaviour before and after the lockdowns in the first half of 2020, children were found to have spent more than a day of extra time each week on smartphones, digital tablets, computers and television and the greatest changes were among children aged between five and 12 years old.

Findings from the “Our Life at Home” study by researchers at Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) also revealed parents spent an extra 14-and-a-half hours on their screens each week, compared to pre-lockdown.

IPAN’s Dr Lauren Arundell said the increase in screen use, especially among young children, was particularly worrying as it could lead to long-term screen use habits that could negatively impact children’s health and wellbeing.

“Screen time has been associated with lower social development and social connections among children, so it is important that these longer periods of screen time do not become normalised behaviour.”

She acknowledged both parents and children needed to spend more time on their screens during lockdown because of remote school and working from home requirements, social connections, and to a lesser extent, leisure.

“Primary school aged children may not have used screens for school and social connections as much previously, but if these new habits become established, it can be hard to rewind that behaviour.”

Dr Arundell said parents and families needed strategies to help reduce screen time with the easing of restrictions and activities returning to normal.

The two-year study looked at changes in behaviours and health among Australians due to COVID-19 restrictions and collected data from almost 2,800 Australians aged between five and 75.