Author(s)

Yaxuan Hu¹, Bingbing Xing¹, Haijing Wang¹, Alishba Hania², Zhidan Wang^1*

¹School of Education Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China.
²Department of Psychology, Nanchang Institute of Technology, Nanchang, China.

Technology is inescapable in homes with young children. The main goal of this study is to investigate what aspects of children’s EF are influenced by Household Screen Media Experience (HSME). A total of 1014 parents of 3- to 6-year-old children (M = 5.07, SD = 0.89, 497 females) were recruited to participate in this study. The children’s screen media experiences, including time management, life conflict, emotional experience, and parental behavior, were assessed. Children’s EF was assessed via the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). For demographic information, children’s age, gender, and SES information were collected. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between HSME and children’s EF. Time control and emotional experience predicted the Inhibitory Self-Control Index (ISCI), the Flexibility Index (FI), and the Emergent Metacognition Index (EMI), while parental behavior predicted the ISCI and EMI and life conflict predicted the FI. In sum, the excessive use of screen media during the preschool period was connected with negative outcomes for EF. Different aspects of HSME moderated the influence of HSME on children’s EF.

Executive Functions, Screen Time, Preschool Children, Child Development, Family Education

Hu, Y. , Xing, B. , Wang, H. , Hania, A. and Wang, Z. (2023) Screen Time and Children: The Relationship between Preschool Children’s Household Screen Media Experience and Executive Functioning. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 11, 470-485. doi: 10.4236/jss.2023.116031.