How do television and electronics affect children's behavior

Abstract

Background

Screen entertainment for young children has been associated with several aspects of psychosocial adjustment. Most research is from North America and focuses on television. Few longitudinal studies have compared the effects of TV and electronic games, or have investigated gender differences.

Purpose

To explore how time watching TV and playing electronic games at age 5 years each predicts change in psychosocial adjustment in a representative sample of 7 year-olds from the UK.

Methods

Typical daily hours viewing television and playing electronic games at age 5 years were reported by mothers of 11 014 children from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Conduct problems, emotional symptoms, peer relationship problems, hyperactivity/inattention and prosocial behaviour were reported by mothers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Change in adjustment from age 5 years to 7 years was regressed on screen exposures; adjusting for family characteristics and functioning, and child characteristics.

Results

Watching TV for 3 h or more at 5 years predicted a 0.13 point increase (95% CI 0.03 to 0.24) in conduct problems by 7 years, compared with watching for under an hour, but playing electronic games was not associated with conduct problems. No associations were found between either type of screen time and emotional symptoms, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems or prosocial behaviour. There was no evidence of gender differences in the effect of screen time.

Conclusions

TV but not electronic games predicted a small increase in conduct problems. Screen time did not predict other aspects of psychosocial adjustment. Further work is required to establish causal mechanisms.

 Introduction

The current growth in easy access to the television network and a wide range of electronic including the phones has increased with the less cost of acquiring the devices. The care that the parents are offering their children influences the access to the television and electronic appliances. In high income nations, children’s have such appliances next to their living environments and the close access and link to the television and electronics have been defined with the connection to high rates of obesity in children, sleeping problems, association to poor academics and low cognitive skills. Implicatively, the frequent access to the applications are as well linked with behavioral ad emotional problems that are not limited to anxiety, aggression, depression, victimization, attentional issues, reduced prosocial behavior and others (Mistry, Minkovitz, Strobino & Borzekowski, 2007; Mehmet‐Radji, 2004; Christakis, Zimmerman, DiGiuseppe & McCarty, 2004). The exposure to television and electronic appliances amongst young age has extended to developing countries. The analysis reflects on the initial studies that relate to the child exposure to television and the electronics and the associated responses of the effects that the care takers reflect as far as the behavior of the children is concerned.
a. Is the need for the study clearly stated in the introduction? Explain by using information presented in the literature review.

The objectives of the study have been well defined within the introduction by the fact that the researcher took a focus on highlighting the impacts that are associated to the watching of television and the associate electronic gaming. There was the mention of the studies that have been established with the aim of examining the young children’s use of the electronic games. The study is associated with the highlighting of the negative effects that are linked with the children exposure to the television and the video games (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). The researcher also mentioned to do with the research that supplemented the longitudinal study on the young children that highly focused on describing the attentional problems and the aggression.
b. What is the research hypothesis or question?

The study was implemented as a research question with the adoption of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The approach is defined of having high validity and reliability (Goodman, 2001). Since the study was to involve the respondents from the mothers of different ethnicity, social and economic background, the approach was appropriate as it a considered a range of principles.
c. What are the variables of interest (independent and dependent variables)?

The variable of interest was the mothers of different living standards and of children’s of different ages. The variables were dependent such that each respondent was to provide the information regardless of the other third part information.
d. How are the variables operationally defined?

The variables applied in the study were guided by the literature in regards and consideration of the adjustments and the screen use. Furthermore, the sociodemographic factors were considered as well as the maternal features.
Method
a. Sample Size (Total): ____13681____________ Size Per Group/Cell: ____N/A___________
b. Were the methods and procedures described so that the study could be replicated without further information? What information, if any, would you need to replicate or reproduce this study?Participants

a. How were participants selected and recruited?

The participant selection was done using the stratified clustered sampling design
b. were subjects randomly selected?

There was a random selection of the participants from the regions of Wales, Scotland and northern Ireland basing on their ethnicity and area of origin.
c. Were there any biases in sampling? Explain

The sampling was biased since there was disadvantaged families that moved home in the case were consent over their information was not provided.
d. Were the samples appropriate for the population to which the researcher wished to generalize?

The sampled population was quite appropriate as the relative anticipated number of the children was involved in the research. However, the sampling approach of stratified clustered sampling design got the over representation of the children from the disadvantaged areas and the ethnic minority groups.
e. What are the characteristics of the sample populations?

Research Design (check which design applies)
_______ Single group, time series study
_______ Multiple baseline (sequential) design: ______________
_______ Single group, no measurement
_______ Single group with measurement: Pre ______ During _____ Post _____
_______ Two groups classic experimental versus control group, randomly assigned
_______ (quasi-experimental) two groups experimental versus control group,
not randomly assigned
_______ Correlation research, not manipulated, degree of relationship
_______ Descriptive research (qualitative study)
_______ Natural observation
_______ Analytical research
_______ Interview research
_______ Historical study
___ü____ Survey research
_______ Legal study
_______ Ethnography research
_______ Policy analysis
_______ Fieldwork research
_______ Evaluation study
_______ Phenomenology
_______ Grounded theory
_______ Protocol analysis (collection and analysis of verbatim reports)
_______ Case study, no measurement
_______ Case study, with measurement: Pre _________ During _______ Post _________
_______ Developmental research
_______ Longitudinal (same group of subjects over period of time)
___ü____ Cross-sectional (subjects from different age groups compared)
_______ Cross-sequential (subjects from different age groups, shorter period of time)
___ü____ Correlation, more than two groups: control, treatment, and other treatment comparisons
_______ Factorial design, two or more groups: other treatment differences, no untreated controls
_______ Two or more dependent variables (MANOVA)
_______ Other design: __________________________________________________________
Consider the Following Questions:
a. Was a control group used? Yes ___ü___ No ______ If yes, complete b, c, and d below.
b. Was the control method for the study appropriate?

The control was such ideal such that it enabled the researcher to control the initial level of each outcome measure for the children at the age of 3 and 7 respectively. This method was established t o improve on the analytical power and reduce the associated biasness.
c. What variable was being controlled for?

The variable under control was for the children aged 3 and 7 years respectively.
d. In the case of an experimental study, were subject randomly assigned to groups?

N/A
Measures
a. Describe the Dependent Measure(s)/Instruments used:

N/A
b. Describe the Measurement/Instrument Validity Information:

N/A
c. Describe the Measurement/Instrument Reliability Information:

N/A

Consider the Following Questions:
a. For all measures (measures to classify subjects, dependent variables, etc..) was evidence of reliability and validity provided, either through summarizing the data, or by referring the reader to an available source for that information?

N/A
b. Do the reliability and validity data justify the use of the measure?

N/A
c. Are the measures appropriate (if not, why not)?

N/A
d. Are multiple measures used, particularly those that sample the same domains, or constructs but with different methods (e.g., self-report, rating scales, self-monitoring, or direct observation)?

N/A
f. If human observers, judges, or raters were involved, was inter-observer or inter-rater agreement (reliability) assessed? Was it obtained for a representative sample of the data? Did the two raters do their ratings independently? Was their reliability satisfactory?

N/A
Independent and Dependent Variables
a. What is/are the Independent Variable(s):

Children and previous study
b. What is/are the Dependent Variable(s):

Parents

Data Analysis
Scales of Measurement (check those that apply):
Nominal ____ü___ Ordinal _______ Interval _______ Ratio _______
a. What type of statistical techniques is used?

Correlation
b. What type of tables and graphs are used?

N/A
Consider the Following Questions:
a. Were tests of significance used and reported appropriately (e.g., with sufficient detail to understand what analysis was being conducted)?

N/A
b. Do the researchers report means and standard deviations (if relevant) so that the reader can examine whether statistically significant differences are large enough to me meaningful?

N/A
c. Other comments on the reported statistical analyses?
Discussion
Evaluate the Summary and Conclusions of the study (Usefulness):

The summary and conclusion of the study well highlights the progressive made in accomplishing the objectives of the research. Primarily there is the in depth mentioning and categorizing as well as comparing the effects that are associated with the children exposure to the television and electronics at different time span and age. They are such useful such that they shed more light on the kind of effects that are associated with the exposure at different times (Singer, Slovak, Frierson & York, 1998). There is that hope of controlling some of the effect such that the exposure should get controlled and this was linked with the interaction of the principles governing the aspects of child, maternal and family features as well as the family functioning.
Describe the Strength(s) and Limitation(s) of the Study:

The study was limited in one or the other despite the good associated benefits. The reliance on the mothers’ reports of adjustment was unreliable such that the extent and the direction of the effects still remained uncertain. The mother reported screen time has been the most applied approach however; the validity and reliability of the same have not been addressed (Cliff, & Et al., 2016). The information about the use of television and the electronic over the weekend was not provided and this limited the reliability of the study as it failed to extend to all days of the week. More considerable most families have freedom on weekends.

On the other hand, the study has been defined with a primary strength such that it is regarded as the initial study to be conducted in the UK with the objective of examining the longitudinal associations that can get exhibited between the screen exposure and change in the children behavior with the exposure to television and electronics. Subsequently, the study considered the adoption of the observational approach rather the experimental hence the data collected was such reliable in driving the acquisition of necessary findings (Hamer, Stamatakis & Mishra, 2009).
Describe what you learned from the study:

The study has tried to outline the different effects that are associated with the exposure of the children to television and electronics more so the electronic games. The lesson learnt is that the exposure of children to some television programs does improve on their development and if the process sis under the parental control then less effects will get experienced (Huesmann, Moise-Titus, Podolski & Eron, 2003). On the other hand the failure of getting the child to access the child designed programs also impacts on the social development of the child (Pagani, Fitzpatrick, Barnett & Dubow, 2010). Therefore, the study well recommends the undertaking of the child care with a lot of parental care and control to make sure that the mind is developed with the proper programs does not impact negatively towards aggression, anxiety and any the unacceptable practices.
List any remaining questions you have about the study:

What are the possible intervention mechanisms of controlling the situations?

 References

Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological science, 12(5), 353-359.

Christakis, D. A., Zimmerman, F. J., DiGiuseppe, D. L., & McCarty, C. A. (2004). Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children. Pediatrics, 113(4), 708-713.

Cliff, D. P., Hesketh, K. D., Vella, S. A., Hinkley, T., Tsiros, M. D., Ridgers, N. D., ... & Plotnikoff, R. C. (2016). Objectively measured sedentary behaviour and health and development in children and adolescents: systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obesity Reviews.

Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(11), 1337-1345.

Hamer, M., Stamatakis, E., & Mishra, G. (2009). Psychological distress, television viewing, and physical activity in children aged 4 to 12 years. Pediatrics, 123(5), 1263-1268.

Huesmann, L. R., Moise-Titus, J., Podolski, C. L., & Eron, L. D. (2003). Longitudinal relations between children's exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and violent behavior in young adulthood: 1977-1992. Developmental psychology, 39(2), 201.

Mehmet‐Radji, O. (2004). Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 30(5), 559-560.

Mistry, K. B., Minkovitz, C. S., Strobino, D. M., & Borzekowski, D. L. (2007). Children's television exposure and behavioral and social outcomes at 5.5 years: does timing of exposure matter?. Pediatrics, 120(4), 762-769.

Pagani, L. S., Fitzpatrick, C., Barnett, T. A., & Dubow, E. (2010). Prospective associations between early childhood television exposure and academic, psychosocial, and physical well-being by middle childhood. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 164(5), 425-431.

Singer, M. I., Slovak, K., Frierson, T., & York, P. (1998). Viewing preferences, symptoms of psychological trauma, and violent behaviors among children who watch television. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 37(10), 1041-1048.

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